A Change Is Gonna Come
by dem8903
Summary: A way in which a romantic relationship between Kurt and Dave could develop in Season 3 of Glee. Most chapters may just be a scene or two for an episode.
1. Chapter 1

Early September had finally arrived, meaning the students of William McKinley High School had been in various stages of preparation for the return from summer break. While most had been dreading this day, one person, in particular, had been excited for it to arrive. This was none other than Kurt Hummel.

"I can't believe we're actually graduating at the end of this year," Mercedes said.

Kurt couldn't help but smile at his friend. He was looking forward to starting something brand new, which was only about nine months away. "I know, it's crazy. Honestly, I'm just glad that I'll finally be able to get out of this state when we're done."

Mercedes sighed as she put a few textbooks into her locker from her bag. "I hate that you're planning on leaving," she said with a frown. "Have you even applied for NYU yet?"

Kurt leaned back onto the lockers next to hers, patting her arm lightly when seeing her frown. "Not yet, but I'll probably start filling out the application soon." She smiled slightly, though he knew it was forced.

"You should just stay here. Come to OU with me!"

"Mercedes, you know how much I've dreamed of going to school in New York. Besides, I haven't even been accepted yet. For all I know, they'll send me that letter that says, 'sorry, we don't want you,' and I'll end up having to go to OU anyways."

Mercedes, unsurprisingly, smiled as she thought over what he had said. "Maybe I'll just start praying for that," she said as she slammed her locker closed.

"You're such a great friend." Kurt tried to hide his smile, but couldn't help but laugh just a little bit.

"Damn straight, white boy," she replied.

Kurt sighed, looking up and down the hallway as many faces passed him. He recognized a few, though could still certainly tell who the freshmen were. Things were going to be different this year, he thought.

Things were going to be better.

"I gotta go. Tell me why I agreed to go into AP English this year," he said.

Mercedes gave him her famous diva-like smirk, "No idea. But you enjoy!"

He scoffed a bit, rolling his eyes at her. "Thanks, 'cedes. See you at lunch."

Kurt wasn't sure of what the exact time was, but he knew the warning bell would be ringing soon and he hadn't stopped at his locker yet. Turning the corner to go down another hallway, he was suddenly stopped by three large teenagers wearing red and white.

Letterman jackets.

_Great_, he thought. Standing before him was Azimio, holding a blue slushy, as well as two other jocks that he recognized.

"Welcome back, Hummel," Azimio said. Kurt couldn't help but glare at the three of them. _Courage_, he thought.

_Courage_.

"Don't you guys ever get tired of doing the same thing you've been doing for the past three years?" He just didn't understand why people got so much enjoyment out of bullying and insulting others for no reason at all.

Azimio and the two other jocks just looked at each other, laughing at what Kurt had asked them. "Nah, but we definitely get tired of seeing you walking down these hallways."

"You do realize that this is the last year for you to make something of yourself, right? Or is it your lifelong dream to work at the local Wal-Mart until you retire?" Kurt couldn't stop himself from saying it. He realized it was probably the wrong response, watching Azimio's eyebrows come together while he took a step closer.

Kurt moved his back a little closer to the wall, telling himself to not let the glare leave his face. "Shut your mouth, Hummel," Azimio yelled, pushing Kurt against the wall with his free hand.

A year ago, Kurt would've been scared. He possibly would've felt like crying, though he decided a long time ago that he was done being the victim. "Whatever, Azimio. If you're going to throw that slushy in my face, go ahead and do it."

Azimio grinned at his statement, shaking his head in obvious amusement. "Yeah, no problem with that," he said. Kurt closed his eyes, readying himself for that feeling of being slapped with ice.

It took all but two seconds before he heard the sound of something hit the ground near him, as well as a splash that couldn't be anything other than the slushy. He opened his eyes and looked over to the ground on his left, seeing the cup and its contents all over the floor. It hadn't hit him.

_What the..._, Kurt thought.

Looking back up and to his right, he saw someone he definitely wasn't expecting to see.

Dave Karofsky.

"Dude, what the hell is your problem?" Azimio yelled at Dave, getting right in his face.

"Z, just back off," Dave yelled back.

_He hit the cup out of Azimio's hand_, Kurt realized. He looked around the hallway and noticed a bunch of students had stopped to watch what was happening. He couldn't help but look back at Dave, wondering why he had done that for him.

He then noticed that Azimio was really pissed off.

"Seriously, what is with you? You gonna keep on protecting this loser all year?" Dave squeezed his fists tighter as he took another step towards him.

From Dave's past history, Kurt wouldn't have been surprised if a brawl would break out right here in the hallway. While waiting for Dave to, quite possibly, punch Azimio in the face, he was surprised at what Dave said next.

"Dude, don't you get it? Did you not just hear what Kurt was saying to you? We have _one_ year left and then this," he circled his right index finger above his head for a moment, "all of this, is over. Why do you have to be such an idiot all the time?"

Azimio hit Dave's hand down. "Shut up, Karofsky. Man, I should've known you'd start pulling this crap by the way you've been acting all summer. You gonna join him in glee club now?"

"Whatever, Z. Just leave Kurt alone."

Azimio looked back over at Kurt, who was still pressed up against the wall and was continuing to look back and forth between the two jocks standing in front of him. "Yeah, we'll see about that. You better be watching your back now too," he said to Dave as he hit him with his shoulder as he walked away, with the two other jocks originally with him following closely behind.

The people that had stopped in the hallway began moving again, most likely disappointed that a fight hadn't occurred. Kurt was still confused as to what had just happened, which must have shown clearly by his facial expression as Dave turned to look at him. "Are you okay?"

Something was different about the Dave standing in front of him, but Kurt wasn't sure of what it was.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he replied. Swallowing, he looked around the hallway again before looking back up at Dave. "You didn't have to do that, you know."

Dave nodded slightly, "I know. I wanted to."

"Well... thank you." Kurt smiled, internally saying to himself that he was glad his outfit hadn't been ruined on his first day back. "How have you been?"

Dave had clearly thought that their conversation was over as he had taken a step back from Kurt, though a smile formed when he had heard Kurt's question. "Okay, I guess. Just been trying to find myself this summer, more than anything." He looked at the ground and shrugged, letting both of his hands slide into the pockets of his jeans.

_Why does he seem like he's nervous_, Kurt asked himself.

"That's good, David. I'm really happy to hear that."

Dave looked up and smiled a bit more before looking away again. "So, uh, how have you been?"

"Not too bad, actually. I probably spent more time this summer thinking about how it was our last before high school ends rather than enjoying it, but... oh well." Kurt laughed to himself. He had thought that it was going to be the best summer of his life. He had his friends. He had Blaine. Though, he spent more time daydreaming about what it'd be like living in New York City than anything else.

"Yeah, it's hard to believe we're almost done," Dave laughed a bit. "You, uh, planning on going to college?"

"Definitely. Hopefully I'll start to fill out the paperwork tonight to try and get into NYU. I'd love to be able to go to school in New York... try getting into Broadway one day or something." Kurt was beaming over the thought of this.

He then noticed that Dave smiled sadly at him, though only a little bit. "Yeah, I could definitely see you doing that," he replied.

_He's acting... weird_, Kurt thought. Had he came out to his family over the summer? Did something else happen over break? Kurt wasn't sure, and he was beginning to get nervous until he finally realized what it probably was.

The last time he had spoken to Dave Karofsky was in the school's gymnasium at prom. They had just been named McKinley High's 2011 Junior Prom King and Queen and were supposed to dance, though Kurt had asked Dave to come out then and there as they were walking to the floor.

_Yeah, that was a bad idea_, he thought. _Maybe I should apologize..._

The three-minute warning bell rang, which made Kurt jump just a bit. Dave still had his hands in his pockets, though he was still smiling at him.

"Do you, uh, want me to walk you to class?"

"Oh," Kurt replied. "Yeah, sure." He realized he still hadn't made it to his locker, but decided that it'd be fine to go later. "Are you planning on continuing with the Bully Whips then?"

They started to walk down the hallway, passing the slushy as if it wasn't really there. Dave's eyebrows rose a bit, "I don't know. Santana definitely doesn't want to, so..."

"I heard she..." Kurt lowered his voice as they continued walking, "broke up with you... awhile back."

Dave shrugged, "yeah."

Technically, Santana had decided at the beginning of the summer that she didn't want or need Dave to be her beard anymore, though they still talked from time to time. Kurt was glad that she, at least, hadn't completely blown Dave off since their "break up."

"Well, even though she doesn't want to be involved, I think keeping the Bully Whips alive would be great. Something to put on your college applications or your résumé, you know?" Kurt knew that the Bully Whips had been great for Dave, and continuing what he had started would still help him now.

"Yeah, that's true," he replied.

Kurt looked over and noticed Dave looking all around the hallway, just like he had been doing at the end last year. He couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Dave thinking someone was going to just bust out of a locker and attack them.

"Maybe the beret will be making a comeback then?" Kurt laughed a bit harder.

Dave shook his head and laughed too, licking his upper lip before saying, "nah, I'm not too sure about that. I hated that thing!"

Kurt remembered how both Dave and Santana looked while wearing them. "Well, I thought they were adorable." Dave smiled as he looked down at the floor while they were still walking, blushing ever so slightly.

"My class is right here," Kurt said as they came upon the door to his AP English class.

Dave was in front of him now, where he appeared to be thinking hard about something while he continued to look at the floor. Kurt wasn't sure if he should just say bye or wait for Dave to say something before Dave finally broke the silence. "Kurt, I... uh..."

Another few seconds of silence passed as Kurt forced one of his eyebrows up. "What?"

"Nothin'. Did you, um..." Dave let out a little, nervous laugh, "want an escort to your next class after this then?"

Kurt only took a moment before he replied. "Not really."

Dave looked back down at the floor. "Oh," he said. Kurt could see him frown before he looked back up with a fake smile. "Okay, I'll, uh..."

"I just mean," Kurt smiled back, "I don't want an escort. I'd rather have a friend."

Dave's obviously fake smile turned into a real one. He nodded and looked away. "Friend," he said to himself, nodding again before looking back at Kurt. "I'll see you in a little while, okay?"

"Okay. Bye Dave."


	2. Chapter 2

Kurt walked into the choir room after school had ended, smiling at Finn, Mercedes, Quinn, and Mike who were all talking near the piano. He wanted to set his books and his bag down on one of the chairs as he had just received a text from Blaine.

_I miss you_, it said. Kurt couldn't help but smile. How did he get so lucky? He had a boyfriend who loved him and cared about him so much. It was hard being away from Blaine now that school had started, but he knew that he'd get used to it soon.

While beginning to type out a message back, Sam walked in and stood with the others near the piano. "Dude, guess who I caught singing in the locker room yesterday," he said to Finn.

"Who?"

"Karofsky." Kurt immediately stopped typing out his response to Blaine to listen in on the conversation. Everyone seemed to have a confused look on their face, including Kurt.

"Karofsky? Why was _he_ singing in front of other people?" Mercedes asked.

"I'm pretty sure he didn't think anybody was in there. Beiste made him leave practice early 'cause he got in a fight with Azimio," Sam replied.

_Most likely Azimio's fault..._, Kurt thought. He couldn't help but wonder if Dave sang well or not.

Quinn's eyebrows shot up with Sam's response. "Wait... since when do those two get into fights? They're usually starting them together."

"I dunno," Sam shrugged.

"Yeah, it was really tense between them during practice... it was weird," Finn added.

Curiosity continued to grow, until Kurt finally decided to speak up. "And how did you catch him singing exactly?"

*_**FLASHBACK**_*

_**Sam is walking into the locker room, where he bends down to grab a bag off of the floor.**_

[Sam Voiceover] "Beiste asked me to go get some equipment we forgot to bring out."

_**He seems confused all of a sudden, stopping for a moment to look down the aisle of lockers that leads into the showers.**_

[Sam Voiceover] "I walk in, and there's Karofsky, singing in the shower."

_**In one of the shower stalls is none other than Dave Karofsky, washing his hair while clearly singing, though viewers can't hear his voice yet.**_

[Mike Voiceover] "I'm guessing he sucked?"

[Sam Voiceover] "Actually..."

*_**FLASHBACK ENDS**_*

"He wasn't that bad," Sam finishes.

Quinn scoffed, "as nice as that is, we are not asking Karofsky to join glee club."

"Yeah, that is definitely not happening," Mercedes adds.

Sam puts his hands up in defense as he replies, "I wasn't even going to suggest that."

"Did he get pissed when he saw you?" Mike asks.

"Nah, I left before he did."

The subject was soon changed as more members of New Directions began to show up, though the thought of Dave Karofsky singing continued to stay in Kurt's mind. _Maybe he's really good..._, Kurt suggested to himself. An idea suddenly presented itself in his head, which he immediately thought wasn't good. Yet, after thinking about it for a while longer, maybe it wasn't such a bad idea after-all.

* * *

><p>The next day, Kurt was walking down the hallway thinking about how Mr. Schuester said that they needed to add more voices to New Directions in order to have a better shot at beating Vocal Adrenaline and winning at Nationals this year. Last year had been a complete disaster. Finn and Rachel had decided that it was a good idea to kiss on stage during their performance, causing them to place 12th. Santana was still a bit angry with the both of them for that entire incident.<p>

Kurt knew that adding more voices to the group was important, especially since winning at Nationals would mean so much to everyone after two years of hard work. For most in New Directions, this was their last shot. Most were graduating at the end of the year, including Kurt, which meant that he knew what he was about to do was the right decision.

Further down the hallway, Kurt saw Dave standing at his locker putting a few books away. He seemed sad about something, but Kurt took a deep breath and walked over to him.

"Hi," he said, waiting for Dave to turn to look at him.

"Oh, hey," Dave replied, not even looking over to where Kurt was standing.

"Are you okay?"

"I've been better." Dave pulled out his letterman jacket from his locker... or, at least, what was left of his letterman jacket. It had been completely ruined. There were a bunch of cuts and holes all over it, as well as black marks from a permanent marker. Dave still hadn't looked at Kurt.

"Dave, I'm so sorry," Kurt said. He really wasn't sure of what else to say. Kurt couldn't help but think about how many of his own clothes had been ruined by the jocks over the past three years at McKinley.

Dave shrugged. "It's fine... it's just... funny," he said.

"What is?" Kurt asked.

Dave finally looked at Kurt, shaking his head as he thought over what he was about to say. "I spent all summer thinking about the mistakes I've made," he looked down at the floor and then back up to Kurt. "About all the people I've hurt and lied to... just to try and fit in with these guys?" He was asking himself more than anyone, Kurt realized.

"It doesn't make much sense now," Dave continued. "I think about who my real friends are and... I guess I don't have very many, you know?" He shrugged again and turned back to his locker to hang the ruined letterman jacket back up.

"I'm your friend," Kurt replied.

Dave looked back over and smirked just a bit. "Thanks, Kurt." He shook his head again and closed his locker. "Anyways, what's up?"

Kurt took a deep breath before he began saying why he had been planning to say. "Don't freak out, but... I have a proposition for you," he smiled.

Dave raised one of his eyebrows in response, "um, okay."

"As you know, you and I are supposed to start a chapter of PFLAG soon." Dave simply nodded, so Kurt continued. "But... how about this? Instead of joining PFLAG, you join glee club."

Dave looked around the hallway as if he was wondering if he had been dreaming. He gave Kurt a confused look, simply saying, "uh."

"I know, I know. Glee club is for losers, or whatever else you used to say. But just hear me out."

Dave interrupted him. "Kurt, look, I appreciate the offer, but," he hesitated. "I just kinda wanna blend in this year, you know? Especially now. I don't really wanna call any attention to myself."

Kurt scoffed, "how is that going to make you feel any better about, well, _anything_?"

Dave rolled his eyes, looking away irritated. "I can't even sing."

"Sam heard you."

Dave looked back at Kurt, clearly confused as to what he had just said. "What?"

"Sam," Kurt stated. "He heard you singing yesterday."

The gears in Dave's head seemed to be in motion as he finally realized how Sam could have heard him singing. He seemed to get even more irritated, "why was Evans spying on me while I was taking a shower?"

"David." It was Kurt's turn to roll his eyes. He sighed, shook his head, and looked back at Dave hoping he looked sincere. "He said you were good."

Dave looked away, staring at the lockers, shaking his head. Kurt was waiting for him to say something, but after a few moments, he decided to continue.

"Alright, let me ask you this then," he paused. "Last year, when you had to go out and sing and dance with everybody... did you like it?"

Dave looked back at Kurt, still shaking his head. He didn't seem as irritated as before, yet now seemed a little sad. "Kurt..."

Kurt interrupted whatever he was about to say. "Did you like it? Yes or no?"

Dave laughed to himself lightly, though it seemed to be a sad laugh. "Maybe I did," he said. He shrugged, licking his upper lip before continuing. "But I can't just walk in there and join you guys after everything." Dave's eyebrows came together as if he was still thinking over what Kurt had asked him. "I can't pretend like they don't all hate me."

Kurt looked towards the floor, attempting to come up with the right words to say. He took a few moments before he looked back up. "They don't even know you. Nobody knows you. You never even let anybody in." Kurt couldn't help but be frustrated with Dave. "I forgave you a long time ago, David. Just give them a chance to forgive you too."

His irritation came back almost immediately. "Maybe I just don't want to join, okay?" Dave looked away, where Kurt realized that he couldn't even seem to look back.

He suddenly felt really sad for David Karofsky. "Why do you do this to yourself? Why do you shut everybody out and lie to yourself?" Kurt just couldn't fathom hiding who he really was. It wasn't Dave hiding his sexuality that confused him, but it was just that he knew Dave was missing out on so much in life that could really make him happy. "You talked about all of the mistakes you've made in the past... shouldn't you be trying to change all that now?"

Dave licked his lip again, shaking his head as his eyes began to get misty. He said nothing.

Kurt looked away, feeling disappointed. "Look, I'm not gonna make you join glee club. And, honestly, I'm not even going to make you join PFLAG if you really don't want to do it. It's just... I've seen the real you," he paused. "And I like that guy." Dave looked at the floor as he shuffled his weight between his feet.

"Give other people a chance to like him too," Kurt continued.

Dave still didn't say anything.

"Auditions start at 3 today. Think about it," Kurt stated as he walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

3PM had come and gone as the members of New Directions were welcoming its two newest members, Rebecca and Troy. Both were incoming freshmen that sang well and said that they loved music. Neither really seemed to mind that joining glee club meant that other students would likely look down upon them or call them losers. They just wanted to sing.

_Perfect additions_, Kurt thought. It was now thirty minutes passed, and while Mr. Schuester was giving them one of his famous 'we can win at Nationals this year' pep talks, Kurt couldn't help but feel disappointed that Dave never showed up.

That was, until David Karofsky suddenly walked into the choir room.

The room became silent- quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Everyone was either staring at Dave while he was staring back, or they were looking over at the person sitting next to them with a confused expression on their face. Kurt was wondering if Dave was actually standing in front of them or if he had just been daydreaming the whole thing until Mr. Schue finally said something.

"Dave, you, uh... you're interested in joining New Directions?" he asked.

Dave had turned to look at Mr. Schuester when he had started asking that question, only to look back at the fifteen faces staring back at him. "Um," he started. Dave found Kurt in the bunch, where Kurt nodded slightly, helping Dave gain a bit of confidence enough to continue. "Yeah... if that's okay, I mean."

"And why would you want to join glee club exactly?" Mercedes asked as she crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow at him.

"Yeah, it's not like you've said the nicest things about it _or_ us in the past," Quinn added.

Dave sighed as he looked over each and every face sitting in front of him. "I know I've done things to hurt a lot of you, but I just," he trailed off, looking down at the floor and then back up to Kurt. "I just want to make some changes in my life." He nodded a little to Kurt and then continued. "And I feel like this would be good for me."

No one really knew what to say at the moment. For Kurt, it felt as if everyone was thinking over the idea of Dave Karofsky joining glee club in their heads. Rachel, unsurprisingly, was the first one to speak up.

"I don't mean to sound rude, Mr. Schue, but we cannot seriously be thinking about letting him join glee club after everything he's done," she said.

Santana let out a loud sigh, where she was obviously rolling her eyes at her. "Rachel, seriously?"

"No, I appreciate everything that he's done with the Bully Whips and how he's been protecting Kurt, even if I still don't quite understand it. But I think that this would be completely inappropriate."

Loud discussions suddenly broke out amongst the members of New Directions. People were either arguing for or against Dave being allowed to join. Kurt, on the other hand, was sitting still, thinking about what he could say to the group.

"Guys!" Mr. Schuester yelled, getting the attention of all the members to quiet them down.

Dave had slid his hands into his pockets, looking completely defeated. "Sorry I wasted your time," he said as he turned to start walking back out the door.

"Dave, stop," Kurt sighed as he stood up. "Mr. Schue, if I may?" He walked between Santana and Brittany's chairs to stand next to Dave. "I invited him here."

A few were looking at Kurt with very confused looks on their faces, while others just had blank stares. Kurt couldn't help but notice that Finn was looking down at the floor, thinking over the idea of his stepbrother's former bully joining them. "If he wants to join, he can join," Kurt finished.

"Kurt," Rachel paused for a few moments before shaking her head. "Even after what happened last year?"

Kurt stood up a little straighter, before looking around the room at everyone sitting down. "This club has always been about accepting people since we first started out two years ago." He glanced at the ground, thinking over what to say before continuing. "We've never turned away anyone for any reason, and we're not going to start doing that now. Yes, Dave's made some mistakes in the past, but he's allowed to join."

Dave was still standing there wondering if he should say something else or stay quiet. Honestly, he felt like running out of the room and going home. While wondering if that _should_ be his next move, Santana's voice brought him back to reality.

"I agree with Kurt," she said, nodding.

"I agree with Santana," Brittany said quickly, looking over to her and smiling.

"Fine," Rachel said, crossing her arms. "Sing something then."

Dave looked around the room again, blinking quite a few times. "Um," he said nervously.

Mr. Schuester put his hand on Dave's shoulder as a sign of support before saying, "do you have something prepared, David?"

Dave looked at the floor before he began to start nodding, looking back over to Mr. Schue. "Yeah, but... I'm, uh, still working on it." Kurt could see Dave shaking just a little bit- another clear sign of nerves. Rachel, Mercedes, and a few of the other members of New Directions either scoffed or rolled their eyes at Dave's last remark. Kurt was about to say something before Finn finally spoke up.

"All of us didn't have to sing a solo before we could join," he stated. "Mike and Lauren didn't until a little while later, right?" Rachel turned to him with a look of disbelief.

"He has a point," Mike stated.

Rachel scoffed yet again, "well I, for one, think that this is a bad idea."

"Maybe we should all just vote on it," Puck chimed in.

"No," Finn said. Most turned to look back at where he was sitting. "It should be Kurt's decision."

Kurt gave a soft smile to Finn before nodding. _I really do have a great brother_, he thought. He looked over at Dave before glancing back at the members of the group. No one was saying much of anything. A few were shaking their heads in disapproval, while others had clearly decided that it really _should_ be Kurt's choice.

"Any objections?" Mr. Schuester asked. Again, no one said anything. Turning to look at Kurt and Dave, Mr. Schue smiled at the both of them. "Kurt?"

Kurt took one more look around the room at everyone before looking back at Dave. He let out a soft sigh and then smiled at the jock. "Welcome to New Directions."

* * *

><p>It was the following day, and Mercedes had stopped at Kurt's locker to talk with him for a few minutes before having to run to class. "Kurt, are you sure that you're okay with Karofsky joining? I mean, I know Dave's different now and all, but..." she looked around the hallway before continuing. "Isn't it a little... awkward for you? After everything?"<p>

Kurt looked up at the picture of Blaine in his locker, smiling, before pulling out a notebook and closing the locker shut. "Thank you for your concern, 'cedes, but yes. I'm okay with this," he smiled. "I'm the one that suggested it to him, remember?"

"Right... well, I'm not really understanding why, I guess," she replied.

"Look, I know that he was really horrible to me the past few years." Mercedes rolled her eyes at his statement, giving him her 'are you serious?' look. "Okay, I know he was really horrible to _all_ of us the past few years," Kurt corrected himself. "But, let's just give him a chance, okay?"

Mercedes sighed, giving a weak smile before nodding. "I'm not really down with all of this at the moment, but... I guess if you're okay with it, then I'll try to be too." She gave him a bigger smile. Kurt smiled back and gave her a small hug before kissing her on the cheek.

"Kurt?" Kurt turned and saw Dave standing close by, attempting to not interrupt the conversation he had been having with Mercedes. He came a little closer and smiled at Mercedes. "Hi, Mercedes."

She took a few brief moments before smiling back. "Hi," she replied. She turned back to Kurt, "we still on for going shopping after school today?" She adjusted her backpack, waiting for his response.

"Of course," Kurt said. "You know I wouldn't dream of missing this sale."

Mercedes let out a small laugh, "alright, I'm off to class so I'll see you later." She gave them both a small wave and started walking away from them.

Dave moved closer to the lockers to be able to face Kurt. "Hey, I just... wanted to thank you."

"For what?"

"For telling me how stupid I was being," Dave laughed. "I really didn't think I'd ever have the guts to join you guys," he paused. "Thank you for that."

Kurt smiled, "I didn't force you to walk into the choir room. You did that on your own." Dave blushed just a bit and glanced at the floor.

"You should be proud of yourself, you know?" Kurt continued. "I know I am."

Dave nodded.

"So, tell me," Kurt said. "What song are you working on?" Kurt couldn't help from being excited. He just really wanted to hear what Dave sounded like when he sang.

"Oh," Dave said, letting out a nervous laugh. "Uh, I'm not completely sure yet..."

"Ah, well then. If you need any help, Kurt Hummel can _definitely_ be of service. And don't worry, my musical tastes _do_ expand further from show-tunes and GaGa."

Dave let out a light chuckle, "alright, I'll keep that in mind." He looked down at the floor again, sighing as if he was making a decision about something. Dave finally looked back up after a moment, "I actually wanted to ask you something."

"What's that?"

"Uh, could we... still do PFLAG?"

One of Kurt's eyebrows was raised almost immediately. "Really?" Kurt had remembered that he told Dave that he could do PFLAG _or_ join glee club, but he never thought Dave would offer to do both on his own accord.

Dave nodded as if he had made that decision a long time ago. "Well, yeah. I got to thinking about what you said and," he paused. "Maybe it'd be good for me, you know? Maybe it'd be good for the whole school, really."

Kurt nodded back as he was thinking over what Dave had said. "You're sure?"

"Positive," Dave smiled. He then put his hand out, wanting Kurt to shake it. "PFLAG partners?"

Kurt let out a laugh. Dave had this huge, goofy grin on his face- one that Kurt had never seen before. Dave started laughing. "I guess that was a little cheesy," he said.

"Maybe just a little bit," Kurt replied. He smiled and nodded once more. "PFLAG partners," taking Dave's hand to shake it.

* * *

><p>Another glee club meeting had just ended, where most were going out of one of the two doors to head home. Kurt had just said bye to Mercedes and Rachel where he noticed Quinn had stopped Dave before he could leave. They were across on the other side of the room, meaning Kurt couldn't exactly hear what they were saying to each other. He felt curiosity set in, especially when he noticed Quinn smile at Dave. <em>I wonder what they're saying<em>, Kurt thought.

Dave gave Quinn a small smile before nodding, where she turned and walked out of the choir room. Kurt felt his feet moving, reaching Dave before he was able to stop himself. "What was that all about?"

"Oh," Dave turned around. "She, uh... asked me if I wanted to go to Breadstix with her tonight."

"Quinn Fabray asked if you wanted to go to Breadstix?"

Dave nodded, yet had a confused look on his face as if he was thinking. "Yeah."

Kurt felt just as confused as Dave looked. "What did you say?"

"I," Dave started. "Well... I said yes." Kurt rolled his eyes. "Kurt, I didn't know what to say to her. She caught me off guard and I couldn't think of a good excuse to tell her no."

He sounded sincere, yet Kurt still felt irritated. "How about 'sorry Quinn, I can't. I'm going to be busy pumping iron in the gym'?"

Dave laughed, causing Kurt to feel a little more relaxed. "Yeah, I guess I could've said something like that."

Kurt sighed. "Dave, I understand that you're not ready to come out, but... please don't lead her on, okay? You're just going to be hurting her and yourself in the process."

Dave's eyebrow was raised for a brief moment. "Oh, I know that. She kept saying that it wasn't a date or anything like that anyways," he said. The confused expression returned to his face. "She said she just wanted to talk..." he trailed off.

Kurt could feel his facial expression match Dave's. "Oh," he simply said.

"I'll uh," Dave shrugged. "I mean, I'll go, but... I'll just let her down easy if she does try to make it a date or whatever."

"Yeah," Kurt nodded. "Okay... that seems logical." He smiled at Dave, but then became confused again as he thought over the whole situation. "I wonder what she wants to talk to you about..."

Dave shook his head. "No idea."


	4. Chapter 4

Dave and Quinn had shown up at Breadstix, separately, of course, where they had been seated in a booth near the back of the restaurant away from the front entrance. It was Wednesday night, meaning there really weren't that many people that had decided to go eat dinner there. They ordered their drinks and food, and then engaged in awkward small talk while waiting for it to arrive. How is school going? How are things on the football team? How do you like glee club?

Dave was just as confused as ever, and he was beginning to wonder if Quinn actually did think that this was a date. _I have no idea of what I'm doing here,_ Dave thought. Their food eventually came and he was glad to have something else to keep him occupied rather than flicking the paper that his straw came in back and forth between his fingers. He occasionally glanced up at Quinn, who had stopped with the random questions to eat her dinner. Paranoia soon set in, causing Dave to begin to feel nauseous. He twirled his spaghetti around his fork, letting it slide off so that he could just do it again.

_Does she know?_ He was feeling really nervous, which just caused him to become irritated for agreeing to come in the first place.

"Look, I don't mean to be rude, but... I'm not exactly sure why you asked me to come here with you," he said, letting his fork fall loose between his fingers so that it clanked against the plate.

Quinn looked up at him, and then glanced down at her plate momentarily before nodding. "I just... I remember how it feels." She looked back up.

Dave's eyebrows came together, showing his confused expression. He didn't understand what she meant by that statement. "How what feels?"

"To have it seem as if everyone is looking down at you," she said softly. Her voice was more sympathetic than Dave had ever heard from her before. "To feel like you lost most of the people that you thought were your friends. I mean, yeah, it's a little different since I was pregnant and got kicked off the Cheerios, of course, but... I remember how lonely I felt."

Dave was glancing to his left and his right, taking in everything that she was saying. She was right, and he hated to admit that to himself. It wasn't even about his sexuality that he was keeping from everyone. It was that he had decided to make major changes in his life that he knew were for the best. He just didn't understand why he had to feel like no one really cared about him after he had made those changes. Besides Kurt and possibly Santana, at least.

Quinn could see that Dave was thinking and that he wasn't going to say anything soon, so she continued. "I hated that feeling so much. I felt so lost and confused and... those feelings never really went away until people actually reached out to me because I was too stubborn to do it on my own. People that actually cared about me."

He remembered when word had gotten around the school that she was pregnant. It was shocking, to say the least. The captain of the Cheerios and the head of the celibacy club pregnant at 16 years old. Honestly, he felt bad for her around that time, but still treated her like crap because of everything the people he hung out with had been saying about her.

"I just don't think that you should have to feel that way too," Quinn finished, smiling softly at him.

Dave shook his head at her. "I don't understand why you want to be nice to me... I was horrible to you when I found out."

Quinn nodded. "I know. But I see the different looks on your face now. I see you standing there with all of us in glee club, but," she paused for a moment. "It's like you're not really there. It reminds me of how I felt back then."

Dave looked down at his plate, picking up his fork and twirling the spaghetti around it once more. He wanted to look back up at her, but felt his eyes tearing up just a little bit. "I pretty much feel invisible sometimes, yeah," he stated. He was finally able to look back up to meet her gaze. "But it's nobody's fault but my own." He shrugged slightly as if saying it was no big deal.

"You shouldn't have to feel that way. Nobody should," she said, shaking her head. "I know it's hard right now, just like it was for me, but... when they all reached out to me, I was finally able to open up." She smiled again. "Just try opening up to all of us, you know? I had this assumption of who you were because of the way you used to treat all of us. But you're not that guy. I feel like I don't even know who you are, and I'm sure everybody else feels that way too."

He was speechless at that moment. He knew that Kurt had given him a chance and had actually given him time to open up and listen to him. And now, here was Quinn Fabray doing something similar. She was a girl that he had been rude to on many occasions, yet she had taken the time to notice that he was lonely and in pain. He had never really thought that there'd be more people like that at McKinley.

He found it to be so unbelievable that he laughed a little bit to himself, feeling like a failure for not having more trust in people. "I'm still trying to figure that out for myself, to be honest."

Her smile grew a little bit. "I think there's a good guy in there somewhere."

_Okay, maybe Kurt was right_, he thought. "Thanks," Dave said, smiling back.

"And honestly- being on top at McKinley, being popular... it's really not all it's cracked up to be," Quinn said, raising her right hand to push her hair behind one of her ears. "Trust me. I learned the hard way."

Dave glanced over at the napkin holder sitting on the side of the table. He recalled his summer break and how he had spent so much time thinking over all of the mistakes he had made in the past. He remembered all the times he had mentioned that being popular, liked, or intimidating had been the most important thing to him... but now... he just wanted to be happy. He didn't want to be scared anymore. He didn't want to have to lie to anyone.

He just wanted to be able to let people in without being ashamed of who he really was.

"That's actually the least of my worries," Dave eventually said, regarding Quinn's statement on being on top at school.

She lowered her eyebrows, giving him a look that showed that she didn't quite understand. "What do you mean?"

_Just say it_, Dave repeated over and over again to himself. Quinn had been kind enough to reach out to him. She had done exactly what he needed for him to feel like he trusted her. _Say it_, Dave said to himself again. He was glancing to his left and his right once more, looking to see if other people were sitting close by. He was attempting to say the words that he had finally admitted and said to himself over the summer.

"I'm," he started. He said this at least one or two more times, yet couldn't bring himself to finish the statement.

Quinn gave him a sympathetic look. "What? You can tell me."

Dave wanted to just be able to tell her that he was gay, but the words seemed to be stuck and wouldn't come out. He figured he could try and explain it in a different way... a way in which she'd hopefully be able to take all of the pieces from him and put together by herself.

"I've um," he started. He knew his voice was shaky, and he could feel his eyes getting watery again. He forced himself to look at her. "I've been keeping something from everybody... for a long time now."

Quinn nodded, showing that she wanted him to continue. "And I didn't know how to deal with it." He broke away from her gaze for a moment and then looked back. "I still don't, really. It pretty much made me angry all the time. Clearly." He knew that the last statement was obvious. "And I made a lot of mistakes because of it."

She looked at the table briefly before looking back up. He could tell that she understood what he was saying, but she was hesitating asking him if what she thought was true, as she may have been doubting herself slightly. "I'm not..." she began.

Dave finally had to look away, turning to stare at the wall. He was blinking a few times, attempting to make the few tears in his eyes go away.

"I really don't deserve you being nice to me. After everything I did to all of you... especially after everything I did to Kurt." He still couldn't look at her.

She was a smart girl, he knew that. He knew that she'd figure it out without him having to flat out say that he was gay.

He sat there looking at the wall for a few moments, but when she still wasn't saying anything, he felt the urge to look at her. Dave turned his head to see Quinn staring down at the saltshaker, her mouth slightly opened as if she finally understood what he had been trying to tell her. She looked over to him.

"You're g..." She trailed off, noticing Dave look around the general vicinity of their booth when she had begun speaking. Everything made sense to her now. The anger. The bullying. The death threat. The protection he helped set up for Kurt when he had transferred back. "I get it now," she said softly. "That's why you had threatened Kurt last year... he knew."

Dave turned his head back towards the wall, shaking his head. He knew it wasn't going to be easy letting people in, but he didn't think it would be this hard either. He was telling himself to pull it together because he didn't want to cry in front of Quinn. He especially didn't want to cry in a booth at Breadstix.

He brought his hand up from underneath the table and rubbed the tip of his nose once, sniffing a few times as he let it drop to the table. He was taking deep breaths, telling himself to calm down. After a few moments of silence from the both of them, he felt as if he was almost ready to look back at her. A tear fell from one of his eyes and he brought his hand up to wipe it away, setting it back down on the table again.

_She probably regrets reaching out to me now_, Dave thought. This was, in fact, the complete opposite to how Quinn felt.

She felt sorry for Dave more than anything. She reached her arm out over the table, setting her hand on top of his. It was a sign of comfort, and she knew Dave would know that. He turned to look back at her, sniffing again before nodding ever so slightly.

A thought instantly crossed Quinn's mind, and she was asking Dave about it before she was able stop herself.

"You like him, don't you?"

Dave just stared at her for a few moments, and it seemed like he wasn't going to say anything. As soon as he opened his mouth to respond, their waitress had walked over to stand next to their booth.

"I hope everything was alright," she said cheerfully, setting the check down on the table and looking back and forth between the two teenagers sitting down.

"It was fine, thank you," Quinn said.

As soon as she walked away, Dave pulled his hand from Quinn's and rubbed the tip of his nose again. "I'm sorry," he mumbled.

She shook her head. "Don't be." Dave looked down at his hands.

"I'll tell you what," Quinn continued, reaching for the check. "I'll take care of this today. But you're buying next time."

Dave looked back up to Quinn, seeing her soft smile again. He didn't understand why she wasn't upset with him. "Next time?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "And if you need someone to talk to before then... you can talk to me."

He stared at her for a moment. "You're not... you're not mad at me for everything I did?"

She sighed lightly, looking over his face as if analyzing it. "I was," she stated. "But I know how hard you're working at changing." She smiled again, nodding towards him. She thought about how much he had been there for Kurt, and how Kurt had obviously forgiven him a long time ago. It wasn't her place to hold all of his past mistakes against him.

"Everyone deserves a second chance," she finished. Dave finally smiled again.

* * *

><p>The next day, Kurt was waiting for Dave in the choir room after school so that they could begin discussing plans to start up the chapter of PFLAG at McKinley. Mr. Schuester was nice enough to let them use the room since there was no glee club meeting happening because he had an appointment to go to. He was sitting down in one of the many chairs available, glancing over all of the notes he had taken when researching from the night before.<p>

Dave silently made his way towards Kurt, stopping a few feet away from him before saying something. He was still a little shaken up about what had happened the night before with Quinn, but he trusted her. After everything that had been said between the two of them, he knew that she wouldn't out him. "Hey."

Kurt looked up and smiled. "Hey, you." Dave sat down next to him, grunting a little louder than he anticipated. "So... was the rest of your Thursday exciting here at McKinley High?"

Dave huffed out a laugh. "Oh yeah. It's always exciting when I'm here."

"Very true," Kurt nodded before laughing a bit too. "Alright, well, you want to get started?"

"Sure." Dave sighed, but Kurt decided to ignore it for now because he felt as if he had no right to ask Dave about what had happened with Quinn.

"I did some research on how to start a PFLAG chapter last night, and we have a little bit of work ahead of us, but... it'll be worth it in the end." He turned to look at Dave, who was now slouching down in his chair, looking like a small child sitting at the dinner table who didn't want to finish their vegetables. Again, he decided to ignore it.

"Sounds good," Dave replied. "What do we gotta do exactly?"

"Well, first things first. We need a third member to start it up, according to their website."

"Who'd you have in mind?"

"Well, we have a lot of options for that, but I was thinking about asking Mr. Schue or Ms. Pillsbury... it'd probably be good to have someone that works here on board too."

Dave nodded. "Think either one will mind?"

"I'm not sure, but it wouldn't hurt to ask," Kurt responded. "If not, I'm sure I can just talk to Mercedes or somebody else." Dave nodded again, not taking his eyes off of the floor in front of him. Kurt continued anyways. "There's already a PFLAG chapter at Rhodes State College here in town, so I figured we could head over to one of their meetings sometime soon to see how they do it. We could probably get a lot more information from them too. And before you ask, no, April Rhodes has nothing to do with that college."

Dave finally looked over at Kurt, raising his left eyebrow. "Who is that again?"

Kurt shook his head and smiled. "Nevermind. So what do you think?"

"Yeah, that sounds good."

He noticed Dave turn his head and look down again, staring at the floor as if it was about to open up and swallow him whole at any minute. He really didn't want to pry into Dave's business, but he wasn't sure if anyone else would see if he was okay.

"Are you alright? You're not really saying too much here."

"Yeah, I'm fine," Dave nodded.

Kurt couldn't take it. He knew it really wasn't any of his business, but he didn't care at that moment anymore. "I know it's not really my place to ask, but did something happen when you went to Breadstix with Quinn last night?"

Dave smirked, sitting up straighter in his chair only to put his elbows on his knees and put his hands on both sides of his face. "I was waiting for you to ask about that."

Kurt's eyebrows shot up and then back down quickly. "It's your business, Dave," he said. "I probably shouldn't have told you how to handle that situation the other day either, by the way." He turned in his chair slightly, moving his head to the side to try and see more of Dave's face. "I'm sorry about that."

Dave sighed again and moved his hands from his face to turn his head towards Kurt. "Oh, hey, it's fine. She didn't try to make it a date or anything anyways."

"Did you want to talk about it?"

Dave glanced down at the floor momentarily, only to sit back in the chair and stare straight ahead towards the piano. "Can I ask you something?"

Kurt wasn't exactly expecting a question from the jock, but he certainly wasn't going to tell him no. "Yeah, of course."

Dave turned his head to look at Kurt.

Kurt stared back, noticing how sad Dave's eyes looked all of a sudden.

"How do you deal with all of the things people throw at you? The looks? The comments? I mean," he paused. He was picking at his thumbnail, Kurt saw. When Dave looked back, Kurt met his gaze again.

"Last year at prom," Dave continued, "you came back in and brushed off that joke someone pulled on you like it was nothing..."

Kurt nodded. He understood everything David was asking him. Like so many times before, it made him think about the one piece of advice Blaine had given him almost a year ago. _Courage_.

Kurt could feel his voice was shaky when he began speaking, yet he wasn't sure why. He kept on talking anyways. "Honestly... I don't know how I do it sometimes. I think I just started focusing on how many people actually care about me and support me, you know? Everybody in glee club accepted me when I officially came out... even though it took a few of them longer than others."

Kurt laughed softly to himself, thinking of the crush he used to have on his, now, stepbrother. "My dad really helped me too," he said. "He always told me that I shouldn't care about what other people think of me." Dave was still staring at him with a look of sadness on his face.

"The only person who can really bring you down is yourself, you know? If you ignore those looks and those comments, and focus on everything else... then it feels like everything's okay," Kurt smiled and then sighed. "And even though the past few times you've met him have been a little tense," he elbowed Dave in the ribs slightly, smiling again. "Blaine's helped me a lot too."

Dave left Kurt's gaze to look down at floor again. He took a few moments before looking back over. "Does he love you?"

He didn't know why, but that question made Kurt really uncomfortable coming from Dave for some reason. He opened his mouth to respond, but nothing seemed to come out.

"I'm sorry," Dave said, looking away and shaking his head. "I shouldn't have asked that."

"No, it's okay," Kurt finally responded. Dave looked back before Kurt started to nod. "He does."

Dave smiled, but Kurt thought he still looked sad. "I'm glad," Dave said, nodding too. "You deserve it more than anybody else."

He looked away, and Kurt wanted to say something else but had no idea of what. He chose to just sit there quietly, staring at the wall to his right. He felt Dave stand up next to him, turning his head to look up at him.

"Hey, uh," Dave started. "I think I'm gonna head home early. Send me some more info on this, alright?"

"Okay," Kurt nodded.

Dave attempted to smile more warmly at Kurt, though it still looked a little sad. "Okay, I'll see you later, Kurt."

He made his way out of one of the doors. Kurt sat there silently for a few minutes, thinking over their conversation.

"Bye, Dave," he said to the empty choir room.

* * *

><p>Dave didn't show up to school on Friday. Kurt was worried about him, but didn't want to try to contact him right away because he thought it'd just make things weird.<p>

It was Saturday afternoon, and Kurt was in his room going through all of his clothes in his closet when he heard the doorbell ring. He knew Finn was out, and his dad and Carole were both in the back doing yard work. He rushed down the steps to the front door, opening it without looking to see who it was first.

Standing there was Dave- hands deep in his pockets and looking like he hadn't gotten much sleep the night before.

"David," Kurt said.

"Hey."

"You weren't at school yesterday." _Wow, way to state the obvious_, Kurt thought.

Dave just smirked, "yeah, I know. I just... needed a day."

Kurt nodded, realizing that they had both been standing in the doorway for a few moments silently. "Is everything okay?"

Dave's face went blank as he looked down at the welcome mat, sighing to himself. He finally looked back up saying, "is your dad home?"

"My dad?" Kurt wasn't sure why Dave had shown up at his house asking for his father. It made him really nervous, to be honest. He wasn't sure if it was more for himself or for Dave. He suddenly heard footsteps coming from behind him, turning to see Burt and Carole laughing about something.

They both glanced at the doorway, stopping where they were standing to stare at Dave.

"Mr. Hummel," Dave nodded.

Kurt glanced back and forth between Dave and his dad, noticing Burt put on his stern face. "What are you doing here?" His tone hadn't sounded mean, though it hadn't sounded pleasant either.

"I was wondering if I could talk to you for a few minutes."

Kurt could tell that his mouth was open slightly. He wasn't sure what this was all about, and was hoping his dad wouldn't get too worked up because of his heart condition. He glanced back at Burt, wondering when and if he was even going to respond.

Burt took a few steps closer to the door, looking the jock over. "Sure," he said. "Come on in."


	5. Chapter 5

If Kurt Hummel were to make a list of the top 5 awkward moments in his life, this may have just made it onto that list somewhere. Sitting on one side of the room in a recliner was Dave, who had his hands clasped together while staring down at his thumbs. Sitting on the sofa across from him were Kurt and his father, with Carole sitting on the arm of the sofa right next to Burt.

Kurt glanced over and noticed Carole's hands on his father's shoulders, where she was rubbing them in an attempt to relax him. He quickly glanced over at Dave and then back to his father. You could almost cut the tension in the room with a knife. Burt was just staring at Dave, waiting for him to start talking about whatever he had shown up to say.

Burt knew of all of the changes Dave had been making in school. He knew about how Dave had been protecting Kurt in an attempt to make sure no one bullied him or harassed him at McKinley. He knew about their plans to create a chapter of PFLAG. He knew he had joined New Directions. But that clearly hadn't helped Burt feel more comfortable around Dave like it had with Kurt.

After a few more moments of awkward silence, Kurt felt the urge to roll his eyes at the situation. _Actually_, Kurt thought, _maybe I should start laughing_. It was one of those times where he thought he might have been daydreaming again. Really, who would've thought that his former-bully-turned-friend would show up at his house to talk about something with his father?

Reality soon set in again, and rethinking what was going on made Kurt nervous. He cleared his throat loudly, which was obviously an attempt to get Dave to look up from staring at his thumbs.

It worked.

Dave looked up and over at Kurt. _He looks scared..._ Kurt thought.

It was at this time that Burt decided to finally say something. "Were you planning on talking soon?"

Dave looked at Burt, nodding nervously. "Yes, sir. Sorry, sir."

His use of 'sir' made Kurt smirk slightly, but that didn't settle his nerves one bit.

Burt nodded back, acknowledging for him to continue.

Dave swallowed hard, looking back at his thumbs before unclasping his hands to rub at his knees. He looked back up at Burt, nodding once more. "I um... I just wanted to apologize to you for what happened last year." He paused for a brief moment. "I know I've apologized to Kurt, but I felt like I owed the same to you."

Silence seeped back into the room. Kurt turned his head just barely enough to look at his father, who was just staring at David with a blank expression.

"This is really hard for me to talk about, Mr. Hummel," Dave continued. Kurt's nerves increased with that statement. He wasn't sure if Dave meant the whole bullying situation, or if Dave meant... well, no, he couldn't have meant _that_, Kurt told himself. "I know you don't like me very much, and that's completely understandable."

Burt sighed, looking Dave over before speaking. "Look, Dave... I really do appreciate everything you've been doing for Kurt since he went back to McKinley. But you're right." Burt looked over at Kurt before turning back. "He may have forgiven you for what you did. And he may be trying to be a friend to you now, but... I still don't trust you, you understand?"

"Dad," Kurt said. He knew that his father didn't know or understand everything that had happened between him and Dave, yet he really wanted him to stop treating Dave like he would go back to his old ways at any moment.

"Kurt, it's okay," Dave replied. He nodded again, looking at Burt. "I understand, Mr. Hummel. I've been uh... trying to do the right thing since then. Make changes. Become a better man." He looked down at the carpet so that they couldn't see his eyes. "Kurt's told me a bunch of times that he's forgiven me for the things I did to him, but... honestly?" Dave looked back up to meet Kurt's gaze, "I'm not sure if I'll ever be able to forgive myself."

Burt had noticed Dave said that while looking right at Kurt, almost as if he was saying it _only_ to him. He glanced back and forth between the two a few times, thinking over what the young jock had said. "Sometimes it's good to have certain regrets," he responded. "Helps to make sure you never do anything similar again."

Dave thought about Burt's statement before finally saying, "yeah." He looked down at the carpet once more, sighing, before he began to nod. It was like he was telling himself that it was true-that he would never make a mistake like what he done to Kurt ever again.

He opened his mouth to say something, yet paused to gather his thoughts. "The... the real reason for um, why I wanted to come over here and talk to you..." Dave trailed off. "I wanted to tell you the truth."

Burt turned his head slightly to the boy, where his face suddenly had a confused expression. "The truth about what?"

Dave glanced over at Kurt. Kurt's mouth was open slightly and he shook his head, trying to tell David that he didn't have to do whatever he was about to do. Dave looked away quickly.

"The truth about why I was bullying Kurt... why I threatened him."

Unsurprisingly, Burt grew a little agitated. This wasn't something that the household discussed often, especially with Burt's heart scare last year. His voice was raised slightly when he began to speak again. "Because you had a problem with my son being gay? Because you didn't want him to tell anyone that you were hurting him because of that?"

Dave quickly grew even more uncomfortable, shifting in the old recliner a little. "Not exactly, sir."

Kurt still didn't know what was going on or what was about to be said, but his nerves were getting the best of him. "David..." Dave looked over at Kurt again, noticing how worried he looked. He smiled softly, though he knew it still looked sad.

Burt, once again, noticed the silent interaction between the two teenagers, causing him to become even more confused than before. "Alright, I don't understand. What's going on?"

Dave sighed, "Mr. Hummel, you're right. I did have a problem with Kurt being gay, but... it wasn't for the reasons that you had been thinking of."

"What?" Burt was shaking his head slightly.

"I um... I had been having a lot of problems for the last few years. I was always so worried about being liked and fitting in... I didn't want people to look at me and see me for who I really was... who I really am," Dave's voice had begun to start cracking. He had practiced what he had wanted to say to Mr. Hummel so many times since his last conversation with Kurt in the choir room.

Dave had taken a few moments to pause, where Kurt could hear him breathing loudly. He finally continued with everything he had wanted to say-things he hadn't even been able to tell Kurt alone. "I spent so much time hating myself. And it made me turn into somebody I didn't even recognize," he nodded. "I hurt your son because I was confused about who I really was... and I was scared... and I was jealous."

Kurt could feel his eyes getting misty. He had known that Dave had gone through a lot over the past few years while trying to figure himself out, but this was the first time he was actually hearing it _from_ Dave. It made him think about how he felt before he came out to everyone.

Yes, he hadn't bullied anyone for being gay, but he remembered how lonely he was... how scared he was... how he felt like he wasn't sure of who he was supposed to be.

He looked over at his father, who was still staring at Dave with a confused expression on his face. He was blinking many times, just like he always did when he was processing a situation. Kurt looked back at Dave when he started speaking again.

"Kurt wasn't hiding who he was. He wasn't afraid to tell people the truth... and I was. And I hurt him because of that. I was a coward. I was afraid... and I still am." Dave was surprised that he was able to say all of this without breaking down. He felt proud of himself for the first time in a long time, but knew that there was still that one piece of information left to say.

Burt leaned forward a bit. "Are you trying to tell me that you're-"

"I'm gay, Mr. Hummel," Dave interrupted.

Kurt quickly glanced over to look at Burt and Carole, waiting for some sort of reaction out of either of them. Both had their mouths open slightly, though neither of them looked confused anymore. It was like they were piecing together everything that had happened in the past between Kurt and Dave. The situation had once made sense to them in one way, yet now made sense in another that was completely different.

Burt turned to look at Carole before moving his gaze to look out one of the windows in the room. "I... don't really know what to say," he stated. Kurt was glad that his father was taking the time to think everything over instead of blurting out something that he may have regretted in the end.

It wasn't until Burt glanced over at Kurt that his nerves increased once again. "Did you already know about this?"

Kurt wasn't sure if his dad was angry, upset, or just asking the question out of curiosity. "Yes," he replied, though he hated how shaky his voice sounded.

Dave finally spoke up again, clearly wondering if Burt was angry or upset as well. "Mr. Hummel, I'm so sorry about everything... I know it's not enough."

Burt was still staring at Kurt. "How long have you known?"

"For awhile..."

"Before you went to Dalton?"

"...yes." Kurt couldn't help but notice how intense his father was looking at this point. He wasn't sure of what was going on in Burt's head, but he was now wondering if he should've lied and said that he hadn't found out until after he went back to McKinley.

"It was my fault, sir," Dave interrupted again. "Please don't be mad at him."

Burt finally turned his head away from Kurt to look back at Dave. "Is that why you threatened my son? Because you were afraid he'd tell someone?"

Dave clasped his hands together again, looking down as he rubbed his thumbs together. "Yes, sir," he said, sighing a little to himself.

"How did you even find out?" Burt asked, looking back at Kurt.

This was the one question that Kurt was hoping his father would not ask. He had been debating how he would answer this in his head ever since Dave had admitted that he was gay moments earlier. _Do I tell him about the kiss? Do I not tell him about the kiss? If not, how would I have found out? By overhearing Dave? By Dave telling me?_

These were many of the thoughts that instantly came into Kurt's mind, along with the fact that he hadn't spoken to Dave about the actual kiss since, well... about a year ago. Even so, they really hadn't _discussed_ it then anyways. He felt sweat beginning to form on his forehead, and he realized he still hadn't said anything yet. Kurt glanced at Dave, where he saw his eyebrows come together. He was obviously having similar thoughts at that moment.

"He told me," Kurt said quickly. It may have came out of his mouth too quickly by the look on his father's face, but he continued anyways. "I followed him to the locker room one day last year. And we were yelling at each other," he looked back at Dave. "And he just told me."

Burt looked at the floor, leaning back against the sofa. He took a deep breath and seemed to relax a bit, though Kurt understood that this was a lot to take in after everything that had happened. He never wanted to lie to his father last year, but... he felt like outing Dave when the bullying had started would've been just as bad as what Dave had been doing to him.

Carole put her left hand on Burt's back, rubbing it to try and make him calm down more. "Have you told your parents?" she asked.

Dave looked up at her with sad eyes before shaking his head. "No," he replied. "I'm... just, not yet."

She nodded briefly, turning back to Burt who was now looking at Dave again. His face was unreadable, but didn't look nearly as intense as it had a minute before.

Burt stood up from the sofa, looking down at Dave. Kurt wasn't sure if he should stand too, though Dave must've been having the same thought as he stood up from the recliner. He shoved his hands into his pockets, obviously waiting for Burt to tell him to leave.

Kurt's father stood there for a moment, glancing over Dave's face before finally speaking. "It took a lot of guts to come here and tell me the truth."

Dave just nodded.

Burt stuck his hand out, waiting for Dave to shake it. "If you, uh... ever need anybody to talk to..."

"Yes, sir," Dave replied, shaking Burt's hand. Burt nodded and walked out of the room. Kurt realized it was an awkward ending, though he really wasn't sure what would've been more appropriate at that moment.

It was obvious that Burt wasn't sure of what to say to David. It was probably for the best that he left the room to get away from everyone in order to gather his thoughts.

Carole stood up from the arm of the sofa, touching Dave's arm lightly before walking out of the room too.

Kurt was still sitting down, wondering what had just happened in their living room. He looked up at Dave, who was still standing in front of the recliner with his hands in his pockets. He eventually looked down at Kurt and shrugged lightly. "Um, I guess I'm gonna get going," he said.

"I'll walk you out," Kurt nodded.

They both walked out onto the front porch, closing the door behind them. Dave stood on the top step of the stairs and turned to look at Kurt.

"What made you come over here and do that?" Kurt was asking out of curiosity.

Dave smiled a little bit. "A lot of things... you. Quinn."

"Quinn?"

"She knows."

Kurt opened his mouth slightly, turning his head to look down at the porch floor. He laughed a little to himself before looking back up and smiling. "You told her?"

"Kind of," Dave smirked. "I wasn't really able to flat out say it like I did just then with your dad, but... she knows."

Dave started playing with the hem of his jacket, looking to his left and his right quickly like he always did when he got nervous.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Dave nodded. "I mean... this is good for me, right?"

Kurt smiled softly. "Yeah. One step at a time."

"I'm sorry if your dad's upset with you or anything."

Kurt nodded. He wasn't really sure if Burt was or not, at this point. "He'll get over it if he is," he replied. "So... does anybody else know then?" He couldn't help but wonder if Dave had told anyone else since talking to Quinn.

"No... I'm uh," he sighed. "Not ready to tell my parents yet... or anybody, really." He shoved his hands back into his pockets.

Kurt nodded once more. There were a few moments of silence, before Dave turned around and took another step down the stairs of the front porch. "Hey, Dave?"

Dave stopped to look back up at Kurt, "yeah?"

Kurt moved forward, taking one step down the stairs to stand in front of Dave. He was slightly taller, since Dave had been on the second-to-top step, and he wrapped his arms around Dave's shoulders to pull him in for a hug.

Dave hesitated, but then brought his arms around Kurt's waist to hug back. He had always wondered what this moment would feel like... what it'd be like to have Kurt in his arms... what it'd be like to be able to hold him. But he quickly discarded those thoughts and pulled back, smiling up at Kurt.

Kurt smiled back at Dave, though he was beginning to wonder why he wished he could've hugged Dave for a few moments longer.

He saw the jock turn around and walk down the rest of the stairs. Dave opened the door to his truck, giving a small wave to Kurt before getting inside and starting it up.

He heard the front door open, but he didn't turn around to see who it was. He sat down on the front steps as Dave drove down the street, looking over to his left to see his father sit down next to him.

"Hey, kiddo."

Kurt smiled softly, "hi, Dad."

Burt nudged his son's shoulder lightly. "I'm sorry if I sounded like I was upset with you in there."

Kurt shrugged, "it's okay."

They sat there on the steps for a few minutes silently, watching a few cars pass on the street in front of their house.

Kurt took a deep breath, still staring into the street. "Do you think I did the wrong thing by not outing him last year?"

His father quickly glanced over at him. "Do you?"

He smiled again. "No," Kurt said, shaking his head and looking at him.

Burt smiled too, patting him on the back. "Well, alright then."


	6. Chapter 6

Sitting at the Lima Bean on a Sunday afternoon wasn't very exciting, but Kurt knew it was one place where he could talk to Blaine about what had happened the day before without being interrupted or worrying about who might hear them. They had decided to sit at a small table after ordering their drinks, where there were only a few other customers sitting down far away from them.

Kurt was cautious of his surroundings before beginning to tell him about what Dave had said to his father. Blaine sat in his chair silently, occasionally taking a sip from his cup, nodding, or raising an eyebrow at what he was being told.

"So he just... came out and told your dad?" Blaine had already asked this question quite a few times, but Kurt still felt that the whole situation was so surreal that he barely even noticed.

"Yeah," Kurt said, wide-eyed as he took a drink.

"That's... interesting," Blaine replied.

"Yeah," Kurt repeated, still not quite able to believe it himself.

Blaine looked down at his cup for a few moments, pushing it back and forth between his hands before speaking again. "How'd he take it?"

"My dad?" Kurt had finally broken Blaine's trance as he looked back up to his boyfriend.

"Yeah."

Kurt let out a rough sigh. "Oh, I don't know... I mean, we haven't really talked about it since it happened, to be honest." He glanced at a woman sitting a few tables over who was reading a book before looking back. "It's funny, as soon as I realized what Dave was about to say, I started freaking out. I was thinking, okay, my dad is possibly going to ask if I knew and then he's going to want to know how I found out... it was a little tense."

Blaine smirked a bit, "yeah, sounds like it."

"It was just," Kurt shook his head, closing his eyes briefly. "Unbelievable... I definitely wasn't expecting any of that, you know?"

"Yeah..." Blaine nodded, staring at the table as he was still assessing the entire situation in his head. "So, did your dad kind of freak out then?"

Kurt raised one of his eyebrows before taking another sip from his cup. "Didn't really freak out, no. He just," he shrugged. "He got a little intense, and _then_ started asking those questions."

He laughed to himself before continuing. "But... it was okay. I think he kind of _got_ Dave for the first time, if that makes any sense." Kurt was wondering if it actually _did_ or not. "I mean, obviously, I don't think he's all okay with him now, but it probably makes much more sense to him than it did before."

"So," Blaine paused. "You told your dad how you found out about him then?"

Kurt scoffed in amusement. "Uh, no. That definitely didn't need to come up at that moment." _Or ever_, he thought. "I just... told him I followed him into the locker room that one day, and that we started yelling at each other, and... that he just told me."

Blaine's eyes narrowed as he stared at Kurt. "So, you lied?"

Kurt stared back at his boyfriend for a moment- his mouth open slightly as he thought over how to reply. "What was I supposed to say, exactly?" He couldn't help but roll his eyes.

"There's no need to get defensive," Blaine said, raising both his hands up to attempt to show he hadn't meant anything by that question. "I was just asking."

Kurt looked away and focused on the front counter. He could feel himself getting slightly irritated and started shaking his head to try to not saying anything else.

"Kurt, come on," Blaine continued. He reached his arm out over the table and placed his hand on top of Kurt's. "I mean... I don't know, you haven't even mentioned how he kissed you since that time I went with you to McKinley."

That was true. Kurt had that memory of his first kiss with a boy creep up on him on several occasions, but he always pushed it aside when it did. It wasn't something he wanted to analyze, and it definitely wasn't something he wanted to discuss. Especially with Blaine.

"Yeah, and we all know how great of an idea _that_ was," Kurt said, now focused on a painting that was hanging on the wall to his left.

Blaine moved his hand back to his lap, never taking his eyes off Kurt. Kurt couldn't see, but Blaine's expression turned sympathetic quickly. They sat in silence for a few moments before Blaine decided to speak again. "What?"

Kurt finally looked back towards Blaine. "Maybe I don't want to talk about it. There's nothing to say."

Blaine scoffed, looking around the coffee shop and then closing his eyes for a moment. "Fine. I just... I can't help but wonder if he did it because he likes you or something."

"Blaine, stop."

"Can you blame me? Look, I'm sorry. It's just that he's making all this progress with your help and he's spending all this time with you and I'm starting to get a little-"

"Okay, I'm just going to say this to ease your mind, alright?" Kurt said, interrupting the end of Blaine's statement. He couldn't take it anymore. He wasn't _that_ angry with Blaine, but the fact that he kept pushing it annoyed him.

"Yes, he kissed me, but I'm pretty sure that it was because I was in his face and yelling at him when he hadn't told anybody the truth yet. _That_ was probably not how he had planned on telling me, though I'm pretty sure that it wasn't on his list of things to do that day either." The words were coming out of his mouth faster than he realized, yet he still had more to say.

"Do I think that he did it because he likes me? No. Do I think that he likes me now? No. Was I fine with what he did? No. But I don't want to talk about it with you or him or anybody. Yes, he's done a lot since then to make up for his mistakes. He needs a friend right now, and I'm doing that for him because I want to. That's all that's going on, so can you please just drop this?"

Blaine just sat there for a few moments, silent, as his mouth was open slightly. He looked around the Lima Bean once more, swallowing hard, before looking back at Kurt. "Yeah," he sighed before smiling in amusement at his boyfriend's rant. "I think I can."

Kurt attempted to hide his own smile towards his little outburst. "Thank you."

"You're quite welcome," Blaine said, resting his right elbow on the table to put his hand underneath his chin. He was still smiling at Kurt.

Kurt rolled his eyes again, shaking his head as he started to laugh lightly. "You're really irritating at times, you know that?"

Blaine nodded. "Yeah, well, you must like me at least a little bit if I'm still your boyfriend."

"Just you wait," Kurt replied, taking another sip from his cup.

"Is that a threat?"

Kurt shrugged, "maybe."

Blaine smiled, turning around to grab his bag off of the chair. "Alright, as much as I hate to have to say this, I gotta go."

"Fine," Kurt said dramatically. "I see how it is. Always running off and leaving me all alone."

Blaine looked at Kurt- his face sad all of a sudden. "You know how much I hate being away from you."

"I know," Kurt said, nodding.

"I'll call you tonight, okay?"

"Okay."

"I love you," Blaine said, standing up from his chair to pull the strap of his bag over his head to rest on his shoulder.

Kurt glanced down at his coffee cup for a moment and then back up to his boyfriend. "I love you too," he said too quickly. _Why do I always say it like that?_

Blaine kissed Kurt's cheek and walked away, leaving Kurt alone at the table to gather his thoughts. He glanced back over to the painting on his left that he had been staring at earlier. It was of a man sitting on a park bench by himself on a cloudy day, looking so sad about something.

Kurt couldn't help but wonder why he felt just like the man looked. _I love him_, he thought. _Don't I?_

* * *

><p>PFLAG meetings had been going well between Kurt and Dave. They had spent most of the time researching on what they needed to do, as well as deciding to get Ms. Pillsbury on board to help them out. They had also made plans to stop by a meeting at Rhodes State College within the next few weeks. A few members of New Directions said that they were interested in joining, though a few were still surprised that Dave was involved. This, of course, included Rachel Berry.<p>

Rachel was one of the few members to not truly acknowledge Dave's presence during glee club meetings or rehearsals. She seemed to not want to let go of the past, nor give David any sort of chance at all.

That was, until Mr. Schue announced the next assignment for the group one day.

Standing up at the dry-erase board, Mr. Schuester wrote out DUETS in large letters for everyone to see. He capped the marker, setting it back on the tray before turning towards his students.

"Please tell me we can win something again," Sam said instantly.

"Ha, nice try," Mr. Schue replied. "It's that time of the year again... duets!" He flashed a huge grin, opening up his arms wide to show off his jazz hands.

Everyone basically stayed silent, staring ahead at him to show that they clearly weren't as excited as he was.

Dave just looked scared. Santana was messing with her fingernails. Finn was staring at Rachel's legs, as she had worn a skirt that day without any socks or stockings. Puck was half asleep, about to start drooling on Lauren's shoulder at any minute.

In other words, it was your typical glee club meeting.

The only people who looked remotely pleased were Rachel, obviously, as well as the two newest members- Rebecca and Troy.

"Like we've been doing the past couple of years," Mr. Schuester continued, "I want you guys to pair up with somebody and work on a song together. Now, you're allowed to choose whatever type of song you want, as long as you split it up equally between each other."

"So... we won't win anything this year," Santana said, finally looking away from her nails.

Mr. Schue shook his head. "No, I'm sorry guys, but I shouldn't have to give you anything to get you all motivated." He looked around the room at all of his students for a moment, taking a deep breath before speaking again. "For most of you, this is your last shot at Nationals... but we still have Sectionals and Regionals to worry about. And _that_ should be enough motivation to get you to work hard."

Kurt noticed Dave shift in his chair, clearly uncomfortable at the thought of finally having to sing in front of everyone. Dave had initially said that he had been working on something, but it hadn't been brought up since.

He nudged Dave's shoulder lightly, whispering, "you'll be fine." Dave looked over to see Kurt smiling softly.

He flashed an obviously fake smile back. "Yeah," he replied.

"Mr. Schuester?" Rachel said, raising her hand like she always did when she had something to say. "I'd just like to be the first to say that Finn and I will be partners for this assignment."

"What a surprise," Quinn responded.

"Sorry, Rachel. We're going to do things a little different this time around," Mr. Schuester paused for dramatic effect. "This year, instead of allowing you to choose your own partner or drawing names out of a hat... I will be choosing your partner for you."

"What?"

Kurt looked around, trying to determine who had yelled that out. He eventually came to the conclusion that it must have been more than one person, as most of the members of New Directions were now talking at the same time. Most were mentioning how they weren't exactly thrilled with Mr. Schue's idea after he had let them choose their own partner last year.

Kurt, on the other hand, glanced back over to Dave. He honestly looked like he was going to be sick. _He better not throw up on my shoes_, he thought instantly.

"Guys, come on!" Mr. Schuester shouted, attempting to get their attention once more. Everyone finally quieted down enough for him to continue. "I will be choosing your partner for you, and that's final. And I'm going to be pairing you up with someone that you either haven't gotten along with in the past _or_ someone that you haven't sung with before."

Almost everyone started looking around the room, imagining whom they could possibly have to work with on this assignment.

_Maybe Mr. Schue will pair me up with David..._ Kurt thought.

"This group has always been about teamwork, and some of you still need to learn about that. Alright?" Mr. Schuester asked. No one seemed to complain so he began looking around the room to see whom he could pair up.

"Okay, let's see... uh, Kurt, let's have you duet with Brittany." Kurt looked over towards Brittany, nodding and smiling softly. She smiled back.

He instantly was reminded of when they had "dated" back in sophomore year. _And what an interesting experience that was_.

"Tina," Mr. Schue continued. "I'll have you pair up with Finn." They also looked and smiled at each other, though Rachel instantly scoffed and crossed her arms.

Mr. Schuester looked at Rachel for a moment before speaking to her. "Rachel," he stated. "Let's have you work with," he glanced around at the faces once more. "David."

Almost everyone turned their head to look at Dave's reaction- Kurt included. He was staring at Mr. Schue with his left eyebrow raised and mouth opened slightly. He glanced down at Rachel and then at everyone staring at him.

"Mr. Schuester..." Rachel finally spoke up.

"Rachel, you're working with David. Help him out, alright?"

She said nothing, so Mr. Schue continued pairing people up.

Kurt leaned over a little to Dave, whispering to him again. "You look like you're going to be sick."

Dave swallowed hard, looking over to Kurt. "I'm okay," he said, though it definitely didn't seem that way.

"Good," Kurt smiled. "And you'll be fine," he reassured him. "Yes, Rachel can be really annoying and... okay, maybe she's a little scary at times as well. But she'll definitely be able to help you out. Don't worry."

Kurt wasn't honestly sure of how much Rachel actually would be willing to help Dave out, especially with the way she had been ignoring him lately. But he instantly felt like he had to try and make him feel better about the entire situation.

"Yeah," Dave replied, nodding a little. "Okay," flashing his fake smile again.

Mr. Schuester finally finished pairing everyone up after having to switch a few people around. "Alright, guys," he stated, clearly satisfied with whom he had chosen to work together. "I think that's enough for the day, so I'll see you all later. Get to work!"

Everyone started gathering up their things to head out. Dave was grabbing his books from the floor when he turned around to see Rachel suddenly standing directly in front of him.

"David," she said.

"Uh... hi."

"I expect you to meet me in here tomorrow right after school so we can start working," she nodded- her facial expression showing off her determination like it usually did.

Dave went wide-eyed and began to nod. "Okay..."

Rachel glanced over Dave's face, before turning around to walk out the door. Quinn quickly came over to his side. "You'll get used to her," she said smiling.

"Yeah, I hope so," Dave laughed lightly.

"Anyways," she continued. "I have an idea to get your mind off your nerves for a little while."

"Is that so?"

Kurt had moved to the other side of the room to catch up to Mercedes for a moment. She had just left the choir room when he turned back to go grab his bag.

Standing in front of Dave were Quinn, Santana, and Brittany. They were all either laughing or smiling about something, but all Kurt really noticed was Dave. He was smiling like he had only seen him smile a few times before.

_A real smile_, Kurt thought. _And there's the real Dave_.

* * *

><p>Kurt had stopped at his locker momentarily to get a few books that he needed before he was able to go home. He quickly shoved them into his bag, moving his hand to shut his locker closed.<p>

He immediately let out a light yelp, clutching his right hand to his chest. Leaning against the locker directly next to his was Quinn. "Okay, you really shouldn't sneak up on people like that."

"Sorry," she said laughing to herself. "A few of us are going to Breadstix tonight for dinner. You should come."

Kurt raised an eyebrow at the invitation. "A few of us as in whom?"

She shrugged, as if she did this all the time. "Santana and Brittany, me and Dave."

"Interesting group," Kurt nodded, smiling in amusement at the thought of Dave alone with three girls. "I don't know," he sighed.

"Come on, Kurt," Santana stated, as she showed up out of nowhere with Brittany. "You can even bring that boy-toy of yours along if you want."

Kurt scoffed at that suggestion. "Yeah, that might not be the best idea."

Quinn flashed him a confused expression momentarily.

"It was David's idea," Santana said quickly.

"Who's David?" Brittany asked.

All three of them looked at her instantly, though this kind of comment from Brittany wasn't exactly surprising. "Dave, sweetie," Santana replied.

There was a pause before Brittany finally said, "oh." Santana rolled her eyes and dragged her down the hallway towards one of the exits.

Quinn finally looked back at Kurt. "So that was Dave's suggestion," he stated, questioning it to himself.

"What did I suggest?" Dave, just like Santana and Brittany, had suddenly appeared in the hallway.

"That I should invite Blaine to this little get-together tonight."

"Oh," he shrugged. "Yeah... I did." He shrugged again. Kurt couldn't exactly read his face, and that worried him.

Yet, the more Kurt thought about it, the more amusing it was to him. He laughed to himself, only being able to let out a "huh."

Quinn smiled, though she still looked confused.

Dave laughed lightly, "what?"

"Are you sure you're okay with that? I mean, I don't _have_ to invite him."

Dave thought it over for a moment before saying anything. "I know," he said, nodding. "But yeah, it's fine." His face was still unreadable.

Kurt sighed a little bit. "Alright, well... I guess I'm in."

"Good," Quinn said.

"I'll see you both later then," Dave replied, walking down the hallway towards the same exit Santana and Brittany had taken.

He watched him walk away for a few moments before turning back to Quinn. She was still staring at him, smiling, and obviously wondering what that little conversation was all about. "What?" she asked.

Kurt shook his head, laughing lightly again. "Nothing at all."


	7. Chapter 7

Kurt and Blaine had showed up at Breadstix about ten minutes before actually getting out of the car to begin walking up towards the entrance. Blaine knew that Dave was going to be there, yet Kurt had left out the small detail that it was his own suggestion to invite him too. After being asked if he wanted to come along, Blaine had simply replied with _yeah, sure_, without saying much else at all.

Now that they were standing outside the main doors, Kurt had, once again, decided that Blaine being there was a bad idea and hesitated when his boyfriend held the door open for him. He didn't believe that they'd both get into some sort of fight with each other right there in front of Quinn, Santana, and Brittany, but he didn't feel as if he wanted to deal with the awkwardness of it all.

Blaine eventually rolled his eyes, grabbing Kurt's hand and pulling him inside the restaurant in one quick movement. They stood off to the side of the waiting area where a hostess stood, looking around the various tables to try and find the rest of the group. Once he spotted them near the back, Kurt took a deep breath and ran his left hand down the front of his shirt to smooth it out.

"You should probably stop freaking out now," Blaine said, staring at Kurt as if he were extremely amused.

Kurt scoffed. "Who's freaking out? I'm not freaking out." His voice cracked slightly, causing him to wince before laughing a little to himself over the whole situation.

"Right," Blaine replied, glancing back at the table that Dave and the former-Cheerios were sitting at. "So... are we gonna go over there or just stand here for awhile?"

"Why did I think I'd be okay with you coming again?" Kurt shook his head, wide-eyed, as his nerves took over once more. It wasn't that Blaine and Dave hated each other, but their past meetings hadn't ever really gone over too well.

Blaine looked back over to Kurt, smiling softly. "I have no idea. But I'm here."

Kurt looked over to see his boyfriend smiling, though he couldn't bring himself to do the same. "Maybe you should just leave," he said sarcastically.

"Are you serious?" Blaine chuckled.

"No," Kurt sighed.

Blaine brought his hand up slightly to rub Kurt's lower back for a moment. "You know, you're adorable when you're freaking out."

He rolled his eyes, "so I've been told."

"Let's go," Blaine laughed again, pushing Kurt towards the back table.

As they got closer, Dave looked up at Kurt and flashed him a little smile. He automatically felt himself smiling back until he looked over two seats from Dave to see Santana giving him, what he liked to call, her bitch-face.

"Why were you both standing at the entrance staring?" she asked.

Kurt's eyebrows shot up and then back down instantly. "Oh, you know how we love to make an exciting entrance," he said, smiling.

"Yeah, I wouldn't actually call that exciting," she said crossing her arms. "Weird, maybe." Santana smirked to show that she was kidding.

"What can I say? I enjoy being a little weird," he replied, nodding.

Quinn was sitting in-between Dave and Santana on one side of the table, so Blaine took the seat next to Brittany on the other side while Kurt sat down next to him, on the end, across from Dave.

"Hello, ladies," Blaine said as he sat down.

While they all replied back to him, Kurt snuck a quick glance at Dave to see him staring down at the menu. It seemed as if he was just focused on one spot rather than actually reading the different choices available.

Blaine looked over towards Dave, nodding once in acknowledgement. "Dave."

Dave moved his head up, but only enough to be able to see Kurt's boyfriend. "Hey," he responded quickly before looking back down again.

All six teenagers sat there silently for a few moments, looking around as if waiting for someone to say something to break the ice. _Or the tension_, Kurt thought.

Quinn was the first to speak up. "Well, this isn't awkward at all, is it?" she asked, glancing around the table.

"Of course not," Kurt replied. "Just a group of people having dinner together. Happens all the time."

Blaine looked over to Kurt, nodding briefly. "_That_ is very true. And I appreciate the invite, of course. So, thank you." He smiled, looking at Quinn, Santana, and Brittany.

"Thank Dave. It was his idea," Brittany said as she moved the ice around in her glass with a straw.

"Oh," Blaine said softly, raising an eyebrow before looking back at Dave. "Well then, thanks, Dave."

David cleared his throat. "Sure," he said to Blaine, though he had looked up at Kurt when replying.

_This isn't awkward at all..._ Kurt, sarcastically, thought. "So," he said, attempting to change the subject. "Is this going to be a weekly thing you're all trying out then, or... what?"

"Nope, we're just here to help Dave get his mind off having to be alone with Rachel for awhile tomorrow," Quinn exclaimed as she laughed to herself.

Dave looked over to her and smiled, shaking his head.

"Ah, well," Kurt said. "Makes sense then."

Blaine was just looking back and forth between everyone sitting at the table. He seemed confused, but Kurt wasn't exactly surprised. He hadn't told Blaine about Dave joining McKinley's glee club yet- only because of the small incident that had occurred at the Lima Bean.

"What do you have to do with Rachel tomorrow?" he asked, looking at Dave with a confused expression on his face.

Dave cleared his throat again. "Um, gotta work on a duet with her."

Blaine grew curious slightly. "Duet?" he asked. "You sing?"

"I guess," the jock replied quickly again.

"Dave's in New Directions now," Brittany said, looking over at Blaine. She then turned her head to see Dave, smiling at him.

"Really." It was supposed to be a question, though the way Blaine said it made it sound more like a statement that he didn't quite understand. He quickly glanced at Kurt and then gazed back to Dave, turning his head slightly as if analyzing him. "I didn't know that."

Kurt hoped that Blaine wouldn't be too upset, but he honestly didn't want to always be bringing up Dave whenever he talked to his boyfriend. Yes, Dave was now his friend whom he was helping out and spending time with, but as he had told Blaine- that's all it was and he needed to respect that.

"Well, we haven't actually heard him sing by himself yet," Quinn said, throwing her arm around Dave's shoulders and resting the hand from her other arm on his bicep. "But... he should know that we're all looking forward to it."

"Even if we have to listen to Rachel for part of the song," Santana said, smiling in agreement. "And that's surprising coming from me."

"You have really pretty eyes, Dave," Brittany said randomly. Everyone glanced over towards her and then at each other, shrugging.

Dave looked to his left and his right momentarily. "Uh, thanks." He swallowed before looking down at his menu again as he had been doing earlier.

Santana let out a big huff of air, looking around the restaurant as she began to raise her voice for almost everyone to hear. "Can I get a waitress over here now? We don't have all night, _seriously_."

Dave glanced over at her, smirking, before shaking his head. "You could always whip out a razor-blade and threaten one to come over."

Kurt and Santana both laughed lightly at his joke. Blaine just raised his eyebrows at him, looking down towards his menu sitting on the table.

* * *

><p>A little while later, everyone sitting at the table had been enjoying their food and talking about a lot of different things going on in their lives. Blaine was in deep conversation with Quinn, Santana, and Brittany, so Kurt took the opportunity to talk to Dave for a few moments.<p>

"How are you feeling?"

Dave looked up from his food, suddenly looking confused. "Fine, why?" he raised an eyebrow.

Kurt laughed a little to himself. "Are you feeling fine about tomorrow?"

"Nah," Dave laughed too. "But I hadn't really thought about it in awhile until you just brought it up."

"Well, excuse me," Kurt said dramatically, smiling. "I guess I'm just a horrible friend."

Dave stared at Kurt for a moment before replying, shaking his head. "Don't say that. You've been a great friend."

Kurt couldn't help but stare back at Dave. _He really does have pretty eyes_, he thought to himself, remembering Brittany's statement from earlier.

"So," Dave said, as he was the first to break the gaze and look down at his food. "Um, how good of friends are you with Rachel anyways?"

"Well," Kurt smirked. "Our relationship has always been... strange," he laughed. "But, she's honestly a really sweet girl once you get to know her. And she has so much talent that it's practically seeping out of her... but don't tell her I said that."

Dave laughed lightly, before nodding. "Noted."

"Like I said, you'll be fine. Rachel's always been about giving her performance everything she's got, so she'll definitely be giving you some pointers and opinions and things like that," he paused for a moment, thinking over what he had just said. "Well, actually," he continued. "She'll just be forcing them on you. Whether that's a good thing or not is another question."

Dave glanced down at the floor, laughing again, before looking back at Kurt. "You're making me feel so much better here."

"I'm sorry!" Kurt laughed too. "I'm just being honest."

David looked over Kurt's face for a moment, analyzing his statement. "Being brutally honest is kind of your style, huh?"

Kurt shrugged. "Sometimes," he replied. "It's better than lying."

They both just stared at each other again for a few moments. Kurt could hear Blaine talking about something, but couldn't quite make out what it was. All he was noticing at that moment was that Dave was looking right back at him with an expression that was, again, unreadable.

"Thank you, by the way," Kurt finally said, smiling softly.

"For what?"

"For talking to my dad the other day."

Dave nodded, flashing a small smile. "I'm glad I did."

They were both looking at each other again for a few more moments, until Dave looked down at the table towards the tiny paper ball he had made from his straw wrapper. He moved it a few times with his right index finger before flicking it right at Kurt, hitting him square in the chest.

"Hey!" Kurt laughed, throwing it back at Dave.

Blaine had finally turned to look at what was going on, though Kurt hadn't actually noticed- he was too busy looking at Dave's goofy grin.

"You're such a dork," Kurt said. Dave just laughed again.

Blaine decided to interrupt whatever had been going on. "What are you guys talking about?"

Kurt looked over at his boyfriend and then back at Dave. "Rachel, mostly."

"Ah," Blaine replied, smiling softly. "Interesting girl."

"Blaine, here," Kurt was speaking to Dave, though he gave a side nod towards the Warbler, "has kissed said girl."

Dave just raised an eyebrow, showing off his confused expression without saying anything.

"Did you really have to bring that up?" Blaine said, shaking his head. Quinn, Santana, and Brittany had stopped talking and were now listening in on the conversation.

Kurt laughed lightly, "I just think it's funny now."

"Yeah, you would."

Dave still looked confused, so Santana decided to give him a few more details while leaning forward to look past Quinn. "We had a party last year, and a little bit of alcohol was involved... decided to play spin the bottle and... things got a little nuts," she shrugged.

He nodded at her, looking back over at Kurt. "Were you two," he asked, moving his index finger back and forth between Blaine and Kurt, "together?"

Kurt was confused as to why Dave wanted to know, though Blaine was the first to reply. "No, not yet. We got together a little while after that," he said, nudging Kurt's shoulder lightly and smiling at him. Kurt glanced at his boyfriend, giving a quick smile, and immediately focused back on Dave.

He was nodding, though Kurt couldn't help but notice that he looked sad. He automatically assumed that Dave's expression may have been because he was longing for the day when he would be completely out, allowing him to go to dinner and be in a relationship with someone that truly cares about him.

_His look could only be because of that, right?_

* * *

><p>Dave had gotten up from the table to "use the restroom," though he had really just wanted to get away for a few minutes. He came out of the men's bathroom door, pausing for a moment as an older couple walked by him. The woman smiled at him briefly as she passed, where he smiled in return. As he looked back towards the table, he quickly noticed that Santana wasn't there.<p>

He sighed lightly to himself as he focused in on Kurt. Blaine was talking about something that he couldn't hear, of course, and Kurt was smiling while listening to his boyfriend. Brittany said something that made them all laugh, and he noticed Blaine set his hand on top of Kurt's on the table.

_He's happy_, Dave thought as he smiled to himself, though it still seemed sad. He then noticed that someone was standing next to him, where he glanced over to see Santana looking towards the table too. He knew she was looking at Brittany.

"What's up, DK?" she asked, when she noticed Dave had seen her out of the corner of her eye.

Dave glanced back at the table, shaking his head. "I hate it when you call me that."

"Hey, it's just your initials," she smirked. "I can't help it if people use the same thing when they're talking about Donkey Kong."

Dave couldn't help but smile. "Yeah, whatever, J Lo"

Santana jabbed at his ribs lightly with her elbow. "Jerk," she said, laughing. Neither had looked away from the table for a few moments until Santana finally looked up at Dave, her expression concerned. "You okay?"

All Dave could do at that moment was shrug. "I guess." He glanced down at her. "You?"

She looked back towards Brittany, pausing until she finally nodded. "For now."


	8. Chapter 8

"Hey." Rachel turned around to see Dave standing near her in the choir room with his hands deep in his pockets. He was glancing up at her, though his eyes kept focusing on the floor near his feet as if he were too nervous to keep them on her.

She swallowed once, looking him over until finally replying moments later. "Hi," she said. "Do you want me to close the door?" Rachel thought that Dave might put more effort into practicing if he wasn't worried about someone out in the hallway hearing him.

Dave nodded briefly. "Sure." Rachel closed one of the doors to the choir room before walking back over to one of the seats and sitting down. The other door had already been closed long before she had arrived.

He walked over to her, hesitating slightly, before sitting down in the chair next to her. It was funny how different things seemed. A year ago, Rachel would probably have been the one to _seem_ nervous in a situation like this, though she seemed calm now. Dave, on the other hand, kept fidgeting- wondering what he could possibly say to make himself feel any better.

"So, um... I'm sorry you got paired up with me," he finally said.

Rachel looked up from the papers she was going through and shrugged. "It's fine."

She went back to sorting through the material in her hands, and Dave noticed that they had lyrics of different songs that she had chosen and brought with her. He nodded, even though she wasn't looking at him. "Okay," he mumbled.

"I picked out a few songs that I assumed would fit with your voice, so..."

"Oh," Dave replied.

Rachel handed him the small stack of papers for him to look through. "Do you know any of these?"

Dave began going through all of the song titles, occasionally reading some of the lyrics if the title had seemed familiar to him. Unfortunately, he hadn't heard of any of the ones she had picked out. He looked back at her and shook his head, "no."

She grabbed the papers from his hands, crossing her legs in front of her. "It's okay," she said, shrugging again. "We'll be, uh, practicing. Not that we have to do one of these anyways."

Rachel shifted in her seat slightly, clearly showing that she was beginning to become uncomfortable with the situation. She used her left hand to push her hair behind her ear, standing abruptly when noticing Dave looking at her. She then walked over to the piano as if it had been a planned movement.

Dave couldn't help but sigh to himself. He didn't want it to be like this between him and anyone- let alone the girl that he had to sing with for the first time. He decided to bring up the fact that this wasn't how things should be going.

"Rachel," he sighed again. "I'm not going to do anything to you."

She turned around, looking like she had no idea of what he was talking about. "I didn't say anything."

Dave returned a similar look back to her. "You didn't have to."

Rachel rolled her eyes, shaking her head in irritation. Dave could tell she had been holding a lot in towards him, and could automatically feel that he was about to be told off. He braced himself, mentally, for whatever she was about to say.

She crossed her arms, looking defensive instantly. "Look, I know you've been there for Kurt and that you're joining all these new clubs and making changes, and I respect that. I do," she said, holding her right hand up to her chest to show that she was being sincere. "But, you know, if you have a problem with gay people or you did have a problem or whatever..." she paused momentarily.

"All of that," she continued. "It just makes me feel really uncomfortable around you. And I'm sorry for that. But I can't sit here and pretend like I'm okay with this. I'm not gonna lie to you, okay?"

She waited for Dave to nod or acknowledge her last statement, but it never came.

"Let's just do this duet and be done with it," she finished.

It was ridiculous how far apart they were from each other in the large choir room. She stood all the way up near the piano, while he just stared up at her from one of the chairs near the back of the room, slouching.

"Rachel," Dave said, closing his eyes before looking back at her. "I don't have a problem with gay people."

She picked up the papers in front of her and began straightening them together. "Okay, that's fine," she replied. "I'm sorry for bringing it up. It's just, I was raised by my two dads and they're gay and with the way you were treating Kurt last year-"

"Wait," Dave interrupted her. _Her two dads..._ he thought. Dave could tell his mouth was open slightly, and he saw that Rachel had stopped moving while looking confused. "Your two... you have two dads?"

He hadn't known, clearly. It wasn't so much finding out that shocked him, but the fact that he was now hearing about a family that consisted of two dads that had raised a daughter did.

"Yeah..." Rachel replied, hesitating slightly. "They're both gay," she said firmly. Dave had been looking at the floor again, though he could tell that she was possibly waiting for him to look disgusted or some other offensive action.

Dave looked back up at her, and Rachel finally saw how sad he looked. She relaxed a little, looking at him as if she didn't know who he was. She came around to the front of the piano, though didn't walk any closer to him.

"They... they raised you?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

He looked past her towards the wall, thinking over what she had told him. "And it's just been... you three?"

Rachel noticed Dave's eyes getting teary, though she still had no idea as to why. She nodded again, walking over to him a little more. "My mom gave birth to me... but she gave me right to my dads. They took care of me."

She finally ended up next to him, flattening the back of her skirt before sitting down. She looked over and saw that Dave was back to staring at the floor- his mouth still open slightly and still looking like he was trying hard not to cry about something. She shook her head, wondering what had bothered him so much. "What?"

He glanced over at her momentarily, before shifting in his chair uncomfortably. "I just, um," he licked his upper lip. "Hadn't ever really thought about that kind of family before."

Rachel still didn't understand why that would have upset him. Then again, she hadn't given him any time before then to notice much about David. She shrugged slightly, replying back to him quietly. "It's not so strange for a gay couple to have children."

Dave looked back to her, sniffing once. "How long have they been together?"

She didn't quite get why he wanted to know, but she loved her dads so much that talking about them to anyone always made her feel happy.

Rachel pushed her hair behind her ear again, smiling a little. "A long time," she laughed softly. "It's funny, they, um... met in high school. High school sweethearts, I guess you could say."

Dave was still looking at her with a sad expression, so she decided to continue. "They stayed together and worked hard... bought a house... and then I came along."

A single tear finally slid down Dave's cheek. He sniffed once again, brushing it away with his knuckle. He turned his head to the left so that she couldn't see his face.

Rachel was still confused as to what was going on, but she wasn't going to ignore the fact that Dave Karofsky was so upset about something. "Are you okay?" She touched his arm as a sign of comfort.

He looked back over at her, staring at her intently. "I'm so sorry, Rachel," he said, shaking his head. "For everything." Dave let out a shaky breath towards himself, looking straight at the piano. "I feel like I've been saying that a lot lately."

Dave rubbed the tip of his nose before looking back over at her, attempting to smile. "It sounds like you have amazing dads."

Rachel just stared back at him, briefly looking over his face. "Thanks."

He took a deep breath, raising his left hand to rub the back of his neck. "Look, I um... I understand why you thought I was homophobic," he nodded. Dave took a long pause to figure out what he wanted to say.

"I screwed up. A lot." He looked back at her. "But even with everything I've been doing now... all these changes I'm trying to make... I'd never want you to feel sorry for me, okay?"

Rachel just shook her head slightly, a confused expression shown on her face. "I don't understand."

"I'm gay, Rachel."

Her mouth dropped slightly, and she was staring at Dave as if she had misheard him. "But-"

"I know," Dave replied. He took another deep breath, but it was much shakier this time as he could feel himself beginning to let his protective walls down once more. His eyes were closed, and he clasped his hands together as he continued speaking to her.

"I will never forgive myself for what I did to Kurt... just because I was scared?" It was more of a question for himself than for her to hear. He felt a few more tears drop from his eyes, but ignored them to look back at Rachel. "I know it probably doesn't make any sense to you," he shook his head. "I'm still trying to figure it all out for myself."

Rachel copied his movements and shook her head as well. "No... I get it." She looked at one of the doors in the room, assessing everything Dave had just told her. She turned back towards him as he stared at his feet, noticing, for the first time, how much pain Dave had been in for so long. "Has Kurt forgiven you?"

Dave smiled sadly, "yeah," he stated. "He has."

She moved her hand and rested it on top of one of Dave's, looking at him to show that she understood and cared. "Learning to forgive yourself is the last step then."

He didn't quite understand what she had meant by that. "Until what?"

"Until you can feel okay again," she smiled. "I'm sorry... for how I've been treating you. I was wrong."

"No, you weren't," Dave replied. "I messed up, but... I want to do the right thing now."

"You want to be happy."

Dave looked at her for a few brief moments, until he finally started to nod. "Yeah."

He looked away again, clearing his throat, as he sniffed to himself a few more times. He was trying hard to calm himself down. Hearing about Rachel's dads had really affected him more than he thought it would have.

Rachel was just looking at him during all of this. She then glanced down at the floor, appearing sad for some reason. "You really had never thought about it before, had you?" she asked without looking at him.

"Thought about what?" Dave looked back at her.

She paused for a few moments. "Being able to have a family..."

David shook his head lightly. "No."

"But you want one someday," she said, turning her head back towards him.

It was true. Maybe Dave hadn't allowed himself to think about it because he thought that it would hurt him too much. He had been dealing with so many problems of accepting himself, apologizing and making it up to Kurt, trying to make so many changes in his life that were for the best... thoughts about his future all came rushing to him when Rachel had begun talking about her dads and how they had raised her.

He wanted a family someday. Just like hers was. Talking to her during these few minutes together had made him realize that it _was_ possible.

Dave let out another shaky breath as he tried to compose himself enough to speak. "Being able to come home from work everyday... and kiss the person I fell in love with... being able to hold my daughter-"

"Or your son," Rachel said, smiling at him as a few tears fell from her eyes.

He looked back at her, and seeing her cry just made him do the same. "Yeah," Dave nodded. "I'd like to have a family like that someday."

Rachel was rubbing her thumb over Dave's knuckles on his right hand. "You can have that."

Dave smiled at her, taking a deep breath before standing and walking over towards the piano. He hadn't meant for this whole conversation to happen, but he was glad that it did. He sniffed a few more times, wiping his face, before turning around to look back at Rachel. "I'm sorry," he said, laughing a bit. "I've been crying a lot lately too."

She laughed, "yeah, and you're making me cry over here with you."

"I'm sorry," he smiled.

Rachel nodded, wiping her face before clearing her throat. "It's fine... I'm guessing a few other people know then?"

Dave rubbed the back of his neck again. "Yeah... Kurt, his stepmom and his dad, Quinn and Santana."

"Not your parents?" she asked almost instantly.

He shook his head, looking back down at the floor. "No."

Rachel nodded briefly before standing from the chair and walking over to him. She waited until he looked back up at her before speaking. "Thank you for telling me," she said. "I'm gonna hug you now, okay?" she smiled.

Dave smiled back as Rachel wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He immediately hugged back- again, telling himself that opening up to people made things so much better instead of worse. He was happy... and that was something that he knew he deserved.

She pulled back and smiled up at him.

"I hope you're not feeling sorry for me," he said.

Rachel laughed again, "I wouldn't dream of it." She walked around him to grab the papers she had brought with her. He turned around and rested his elbows on top of the piano. "So, um," Rachel began. "About this song we're supposed to sing together..."

Dave nodded, "yeah?"

She smiled once more. "How about if you just sing it instead?"

"But... I thought Mr. Schue said it had to be a duet."

"I know," Rachel nodded. "I just think that it's your time to shine."

She had left Dave speechless at that moment, and all he could do was smile back. This was what life was supposed to be about- not being afraid, not lying to anyone, not feeling as if he were all alone- but about being happy, surrounding himself with people that actually cared about him and that were able to look passed the mistakes that he had once made.

"Do you have any ideas for a song?" she asked.

Dave thought for a few moments before looking back at her, nodding. "Do you... think you could help me practice?"

Rachel smiled brightly, nodding back. "Of course."

***MUSIC STARTS***

youtube (dot) com (slash) watch?v=H-QkXH5FCZM

**Listen to the song as you follow along with the lyrics, if you want.**

**Shot of Rachel and Dave smiling at each other changes to Brad's hands playing the piano. Shot moves out to see all of him sitting at the piano. Shot pans over so we then see an orchestra on the auditorium stage (this is Glee; it's happened before).**

**Shot changes to the members of New Directions sitting down watching. Dave walks up towards a microphone in the middle of the stage. He's wearing a suit (think Max's pictures from The Advocate - yes!).**

**We see the members of ND's faces/reactions during the song. Kurt included, looking sad, etc etc etc.**

_A golden haze__  
>Another morning feels like yesterday<br>End of May  
>And now you're gone and there's still bills to pay<br>And you know it doesn't help to make believe  
>You're sitting next to me<br>It doesn't help  
>To make believe that you are right behind me<br>Saying it's okay_

_Longer days __  
>More time to sit and watch the pendulum sway<br>In quiet rage  
>I'm staring at this empty notebook page<br>Times like these you feel like you are done with feeling  
>You feel you want to stop the pain from healing<br>Because you feel like you're the only one  
>Who's ever felt this way<em>

_Some days in a daze __  
>There's brighter days<br>Funny how the feeling never stays  
>But I know I'll have to come to terms when I'm awake<br>Thinking about you is the icing on the cake  
>Makes me realize the fact you're gone for good<br>For goodness sake_

_Golden haze __  
>Another morning feels like yesterday<br>End of May  
>A year is gone and I still feel this way<br>When we meet again I'll ask you how you're doing  
>And you'll say fine and ask me how I'm doing<br>And then I'll lie and I'll say ordinary_

_It's just an ordinary day_

_It's just an ordinary day_

_It's just an ordinary day_

***EPISODE ENDS***


	9. Chapter 9

"Well, Mr. Karofsky... I have to congratulate you."

Dave turned slightly to his right to see Kurt standing beside him against the lockers. He looked around in confusion for a moment, wondering what Kurt had meant by that. A little grin formed as he shut his locker closed. "For what?"

Kurt beamed up at him. "For singing amazingly well the other day." He clapped his hands together excitedly and his smile grew wider. "I'm so proud!" he said dramatically.

"And you call me a dork," Dave laughed.

"Hey, I take offense to that." Kurt playfully hit Dave's arm, pouting just a little bit.

Dave laughed again, "I sincerely apologize then."

Kurt nodded, "yeah, you better." Dave shook his head as his laughs died down. "So," he paused, "how are you doing?"

Dave thought over the question for a few moments, turning his head to the side slightly as he finally responded. "Not too bad, really. I'm starting to feel," he took a deep breath. "Pretty good, actually."

"Well, good, I'm glad," Kurt smiled.

Dave glanced down at Kurt and then back up, clearly taking a look at the other boy's clothing. "That's an interesting outfit today..."

Kurt looked down at his outfit, moving his head back up to meet Dave's eyes as he raised an eyebrow at him. "Should I take that as a compliment?"

"Just a statement, really," Dave chuckled. "But yeah... you look good."

Kurt felt himself blush a little, though he was unsure as to why. "Thanks," he said, looking down the hallway to see many students of McKinley High walking either to their lockers or to their classrooms.

He thought over what people might have been thinking when seeing Dave and him talking, yet most people were so used to it by now after finding out that Dave had joined glee club and started PFLAG with Kurt. He looked back at Dave and noticed his goofy grin once again. "Nice polo," he said sarcastically.

Dave ran a hand over his shirt, looking down at it to his left and his right as if Kurt was actually telling the truth. "You think so?"

"No, actually," Kurt laughed. "I was just trying to be nice."

Dave's mouth opened in surprise, though he was trying hard not to smile. "Yeah, well-"

That was as far as he got into his next statement when something red passed near Kurt, while the contents of a slushy hit Dave right in the face. Kurt looked down the hallway and noticed one of the jocks on the football team looking back at them with a, now, empty slushy cup in his right hand.

"Hey, loser," the jock said quickly, before he walked away and turned the corner.

Dave was just standing still in front of Kurt. While his mouth had not yet closed, his eyes were shut so tight as he was trying to not let anymore of the slushy get into them. Other students in the hallway had all stopped whatever they were doing to stare at him.

He spit out whatever had made it into his mouth, raising his hands to wipe the contents away from his eyes. Dave blinked a few times, attempting to take a look at Kurt who was still standing in front of him as if he didn't know what to do.

Dave looked around a little bit, taking a few deep breaths before speaking.

"I was wondering when that was gonna happen."

Kurt laughed, though he thought it came out because of his nerves more than anything else. "Are you okay?"

The jock just raised an eyebrow, clearing wondering if he was being serious.

"Alright, stupid question..." Kurt laughed again. "Come on," he said as he carefully grabbed Dave's arm to lead him down the hallway towards one of the bathrooms. "Let's get you cleaned up."

* * *

><p>"It burns!" Dave cried out as he leaned over one of the sinks in the bathroom. The water was on and he was continuously running his hands underneath it only to raise them back up to rub at his eyes.<p>

Kurt had his back leaned up against the sink next to Dave's, looking over to his right to see his friend complaining. "Stop being such a baby."

Dave scoffed, looking over at Kurt in disbelief. "How am I being a baby?"

"And now you're just whining," Kurt said, laughing lightly.

"Who are you- my mother?" Dave replied, shaking his head and attempting to hide his smile.

Kurt shook his own head- his eyes growing a little wider as he answered Dave's question. "No, but trust me... if I was, I'd be out buying you something other than polos." He laughed again when he saw Dave close his eyes and grin.

Dave bent down once more, cupping his hands underneath the water to bring them up to his hair. The water trickled back down into the sink, rinsing out most of the slushy that had gotten there. He looked back at himself in the mirror, only to have some of the water slide down his face, towards his neck, and into his shirt. Dave sighed, shaking his head in irritation.

"Stop moving, you're just making it worse," Kurt said. He grabbed a few paper towels from the wall dispenser, wetting them underneath the sink in front of him. He wiped off Dave's forehead and moved down to his cheek, only to stop when he had reached his neck directly underneath his jawline.

Dave had been watching Kurt while this had been happening, but he quickly brought his hand up to his neck to grab the wet paper towels from Kurt's hand. He looked away from him, back towards himself in the mirror.

"I don't know why I used to do this to people," he said. "This sucks."

Kurt walked back towards the wall behind the sinks, leaning against it so that he could see Dave looking at himself in the mirror. He smirked at the other boy, "I have to say... I was really surprised you just stood there and did nothing."

Dave looked back towards Kurt in the mirror, shrugging slightly as he paused from wiping himself off. "Yeah, well... what else is there really to do?"

"True, I guess," Kurt replied. He glanced at the floor for a moment and then looked back up. "Just surprised 'The Fury' wasn't involved in some way," he smirked.

"Remind me never to call my fist 'The Fury' ever again," Dave laughed to himself.

Kurt nodded briefly, never letting the smile leave his face. "Will do."

He couldn't help but think about how different things were now. A year ago, Dave would have been the one throwing a slushy at someone. If the same situation that had occurred now, happened then, Dave would have probably started to throw punches. But... that wasn't him anymore.

Kurt started laughing, bringing his hand up to cover his mouth as he crossed one of his arms around himself.

Dave just glanced at him through the mirror once more, pausing to turn around quickly. One of his perfect eyebrows came up just a bit, looking at him in confusion. "What's so funny?"

"It's just weird to think about how different things are now..." Kurt trailed off. His smile softened, and he just shrugged at Dave. "How different _you_ are."

Both of Dave's eyebrows came together as he wanted to know more of what Kurt was thinking. "Like how?"

"Oh, I don't know," Kurt shrugged again. "It's just... it's like it's a whole new you. You used to be a little mean all the time... a little angry..."

Dave's expression had yet to change, though he nodded.

"Yeah," Kurt continued. He couldn't help but laugh again as he thought over what he wanted to say next. "But now... you're kind of like a big teddy bear."

Dave looked at the floor as he chuckled to himself a bit. He looked back up, shaking his head in amusement. "Is that really how people see me now?" he asked.

Kurt was still laughing lightly, and he began to nod once more. "I think so. You're nicer now... easier to talk to-"

"And everyone wants to cuddle with me?"

Kurt didn't answer right away. He looked over Dave's face for a few brief moments. His laughter had died down right after the question, and he wasn't sure why he didn't know exactly how to reply to him.

"Maybe something like that," he finally said.

Dave didn't say anything back, yet continued to gaze at Kurt.

Kurt felt himself trying to look away, yet couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't understand what had just happened between them- if anything had happened at all, that is. Neither said anything until Dave finally broke the silence.

"What?"

"Nothing," Kurt replied, looking at the floor momentarily.

Kurt didn't know, but David was having the same thoughts he was. He wasn't sure if something had actually just happened, or if it was just his imagination running wild like it usually did.

Dave could feel himself breathing hard as he took a few steps towards Kurt. He felt himself staring at Kurt's eyes, even though they weren't looking back at his. He glanced down at Kurt's lips for a moment, but only until Kurt decided to look back up at him.

He searched for a sign of fear in the other boy's eyes, but saw none. Dave reached his right hand out to Kurt's cheek, rubbing his thumb across it gently. Kurt's lips parted slightly, causing Dave to take a chance and lean in towards him.

Their lips were almost touching...

"What?"

Dave blinked a few times, shaking his head as he was brought back to reality. He was still leaning up against the sink across from Kurt, who was now looking over Dave's face as if it would somehow help him to figure out what he was thinking.

_Calm down_, Dave told himself. He had been daydreaming. Nothing had happened. And nothing was going to happen.

"Um," Dave cleared his throat. "I don't know... you were just staring at me and it looked like you wanted to say something."

"Oh," Kurt said, shaking his head quickly. "No," he shrugged. He looked away momentarily, only to step away from the wall and walk back over towards the sink to look at himself in the mirror.

He could feel that Dave was still looking at him. Kurt looked over to his left towards him and laughed, "stop!"

"I'm not doing anything!" Dave laughed too.

Kurt scoffed, attempting to hide his smile. "Yeah, you're staring at me now."

Dave put both of his hands up in defense. "Sorry," he said, grinning as he turned back around towards the mirror and got the paper towels wet again.

He was wiping at the front of his shirt now, becoming frustrated when he thought about how he'd have to walk around school for the rest of the day with dried-up slushy on his clothes.

Kurt thought for a few moments, debating with himself on whether to ask Dave what he had been meaning to ask all day. He sighed lightly, though Dave couldn't hear it over the sound of the sink running.

"Did Rachel pick out that song?" Kurt asked quickly.

Dave stopped wiping at his shirt to look over. "The song I sang?"

"Yeah," Kurt nodded.

He shook his head. "No," he said, as he looked back at himself in the mirror.

"Oh."

Dave turned the water off, glancing back over at Kurt once again. "Why?"

Kurt shrugged, "I just never pictured you much of a Bublé fan." He smiled when he noticed Dave's grin.

"Let's just say that I'm full of surprises."

Kurt laughed, walking away from the sink and back towards the wall that he had been leaning up against earlier. He nodded towards Dave as he looked back at him through the mirror. "Yeah, you're full of something..."

"I see how it is," Dave chuckled.

"I have to say, though... singing a song in November when you're talking about the month of May is quite interesting."

Dave laughed again. "Yeah, well... it's a good song."

He had gone back to wiping at the front of his shirt, not noticing Kurt's expression from behind him. Kurt thought that he had analyzed the song's lyrics too much, yet he honestly couldn't stop himself from asking another question.

"Why did you choose it?"

It was a simple question. It was asked nonchalantly. Little did Dave know that there had been a much deeper meaning behind it.

Dave turned back around towards Kurt, looking over his face as if debating how to answer. He decided to go with the easy one. "I don't know," he shrugged. "I just thought it was a good song."

Kurt nodded briefly. "Is that it?"

Dave set the paper towels on the side of the sink, looking back at Kurt only to slide his hands deep into his pockets. He glanced down at the floor, swallowing once before replying. "I guess it kind of reminded me of everything I've been going through lately... something like that." He looked back up, yet said nothing more.

"I just..." Kurt trailed off. "There were just some parts that made it seem like it was a song about heartbreak too."

"Yeah, I guess." Dave's expression was, like it had been a few times lately, unreadable.

Kurt shook his head, telling himself to stop asking so many questions. "You didn't choose it because of that, did you?" He still couldn't help himself.

Dave looked over Kurt's face, raising his right eyebrow quickly. "No," he paused for a few moments, never letting his eyes leave Kurt's face. "Who would've been able to break my heart?"

All Kurt could do was nod. He told himself that it was stupid to ask to begin with, and that asking anything else would've just made it worse.

Sliding his hands out of his pockets, Dave turned back towards the mirror. He sighed as he looked over his polo that was now covered with stains from the slushy. "I guess my shirt's ruined."

Dave looked at Kurt behind him in the mirror, where he was looking down at the floor and smirking at Dave's statement. "You don't have to look so happy about it!"

"I'm sorry," Kurt laughed. "Honestly, though... maybe it's a sign that you should go get some new clothes."

Dave, once again, looked at Kurt in amusement. "Uh, I'm really not a fan of shopping, so... yeah." He replied nervously, almost as if he could read Kurt's mind.

He was right.

"I'll go with you!" Kurt replied, beaming at Dave. "I'll get Mercedes to tag along. Think of it as picking out a new wardrobe for the new and improved Dave Karofsky," he said, animatedly.

Dave just stared at Kurt- both eyebrows raised as he thought over the idea of his friend putting him in outfits similar to his own. He hadn't replied yet, but Kurt knew exactly what he was thinking.

"David," Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to put you in a pair of skinny jeans or anything like that. Trust me."

The jock just looked over his face a few more times, debating on whether to take him up on his offer or not. He sighed, glancing over to the wall on his left before looking back at Kurt. "I have a feeling I might regret this, but... okay, I guess," he smiled.

Kurt jumped up and down a few times in excitement, clapping his hands together like he had done in the hallway earlier. "You won't regret it, I promise!" His smile was bigger than Dave had ever seen before. "I'm _so_ excited!"

Dave just laughed to himself, shaking his head as he thought over what he was getting himself into. "Yeah, I can tell..."


	10. Chapter 10

Kurt and Mercedes leaned up against the walls, across from each other, that were in front of a changing room that Dave was currently in. They had finally talked him into trying on a few things, but not until after they had been messing around by suggesting several pink shirts and other items of clothing that they knew he would never even try on. This, of course, had only caused Dave to roll his eyes and walk away without saying anything- though, all three had actually been having a good time with each other.

"What is he doing in there?" Mercedes asked, shaking her head at Kurt. She crossed her arms in front of her stomach, tapping her foot lightly against the carpet on the store floor.

Kurt had no idea as to why David was taking so long to just try on one outfit that they had picked out, so his response to her was nothing more than a shrug. "David, come on!" He yelled out from in front of the changing room curtain. "You've been in there for over ten minutes now..."

"Hold on a second," Dave said almost immediately.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "One," he said sarcastically. He turned back towards Mercedes, who was still leaning up against the wall, and shook his head. "Boys."

Mercedes giggled, glancing down at her feet as she took a step towards Kurt. "Think we're having too much fun with this?" She wasn't even attempting to hide the huge smile that had appeared on her face.

"Maybe just a little bit," Kurt smiled back. He started giggling with her, walking over next to her to put his head on her shoulder.

She rested her head against his, sighing lightly as if she were getting tired. "Finally getting your revenge?"

Kurt turned his head to look at her, his eyebrows wrinkling in confusion at her statement. "For what?" he asked.

"You know..." she trailed off. She glanced over towards the curtain and then looked back, lowering her voice so that Dave couldn't hear her. "Last year."

"No!" Kurt responded quickly. "It's not like that at all." He stepped away from her to stand against the wall across from her once more.

"It is funny though... I have to admit," he continued, smiling at the thought of all the different shirts and pants they had tried to get Dave to try on for almost two hours now.

"I heard that!" Dave had shouted from behind the changing room curtain.

Mercedes and Kurt just glanced at it and then looked back at each other immediately. They both started laughing and shaking their heads.

"Good!" Kurt replied, "Now would you hurry up?"

"Seriously!" Mercedes added. She crossed her arms again, speaking in her famous diva-like tone. "How does it take so long for a guy to try on one outfit?"

Dave pushed the curtain open and stepped out of the changing room. "Yeah, yeah," he said mockingly. He was dressed in dark jeans that actually fit him well, black dress shoes, and a blue button-up shirt. The black tie that Mercedes and Kurt had given him to try on was clutched in Dave's left hand, yet it was now untied compared to when they had first handed it to him.

He let out an irritated sigh, shaking his head as he walked a few steps closer. Kurt and Mercedes just stood still, glancing over him a few times as he was standing in front of them. They looked over to each other at the same time, a light smile appearing on both of their faces.

Without saying anything at all, they both knew exactly what they were thinking. _Damn... we do good work_.

Dave was just staring at both Mercedes and Kurt, waiting for either one of them to say something to him. "What?" he asked after a few moments of silence.

"What happened to the tie?" Kurt asked, pointing at it in Dave's left hand.

He rolled his eyes, "The stupid think didn't look right so I tried to redo it... and _then_ I remembered that I don't even know how to tie one."

Kurt laughed, glancing back over to Mercedes to see her do the same thing. "It's really not as hard as it seems," he replied simply. "Trust me," he nodded.

Dave's eyebrows came together and he raised his left hand to give the tie to Kurt. "You do it then," he said sarcastically.

"Fine," Kurt shrugged, taking the tie from Dave's hand and pushing him back towards the giant mirror that was next to the changing room. There was more light near it, meaning Kurt could see what he was doing better than if they were farther away from it.

From behind them, Mercedes started laughing again. Kurt looked back to see her pick up her purse that had been sitting on the floor next to her feet. "I really don't know how you two became friends," she said, putting her right hand in front of her mouth in an attempt to hide her giggles.

"I don't think we know either," Kurt replied, trying hard not to smile at the situation at hand.

Dave's usual goofy grin appeared, where he turned to face the full-length mirror in order to get a good look at himself.

"Well," Mercedes said after her giggles had finally died down. "I'm sorry guys, but I gotta run."

"Why?" Kurt whined. He had been having such a good time with both Mercedes and Dave, and he wasn't ready for it to end yet.

She smiled sincerely, walking towards them as she responded. "I gotta head home to eat dinner with the fam... you know how my dad gets when I'm late!"

Kurt looked away from her, pretending to be irritated. "Fine," he said dramatically. "I guess we'll just have to finish up without you."

"I know, I know. It's gonna be rough," Mercedes laughed. "I'm sorry!" She hugged Kurt and he smiled at her instantly. She walked over to Dave, giving him another glance down and then back up, nodding as if she were pleased. She touched the sleeve of his shirt, "I have to say, you _are_ looking good though, Davey!"

Dave just laughed, looking at her as if she were crazy. "Thanks... I guess," he replied as if he was surprised at her statement.

"See you boys tomorrow!" She started to walk away from them, turning slightly to wave.

"Bye, 'Cedes!" Kurt replied. He waved back, and Dave did the same before turning back towards the mirror.

Dave looked at himself for a few moments with a blank expression on his face. "I feel stupid," he said nonchalantly.

"What for?"

"I don't know," he messed with the collar of the button-up shirt as if he were uncomfortable. "I just never usually wear anything like this."

Kurt scoffed, moving to stand in front of Dave. He wrapped the tie around his neck, moving the collar of the shirt up to put it underneath it. "Well, you definitely should." Kurt began working on tying it effortlessly. "Besides, you _were_ wearing a suit the other day..."

Dave looked down at him, raising an eyebrow. "Yeah, and that was Rachel's idea," he said, as if that statement shouldn't be shocking. "She didn't exactly give me much of a choice, you know."

"Makes sense," Kurt nodded as he began to laugh at the thought of Rachel planning almost everything out for Dave's performance. "I'm guessing she tied that tie for you then too." He had stopped working on the tie to look up at his friend, waiting for Dave to reply before continuing his work.

"No, actually," Dave shook his head. He leaned his head to the side slightly, letting out a soft sigh before smirking. "That was just a clip-on."

Kurt let go of the unfinished tie, taking a step back from Dave. "Oh, David," he said dramatically. He brought one of his hands up and placed it on his chest as if hearing that Dave had worn a clip-on tie was one of the worst things he had ever heard before in his life.

"I'm about to start sobbing uncontrollably right in front of you," Kurt continued. "I'm not even kidding."

Dave just laughed, shaking his head as he did. "Please don't."

Kurt smiled and brought his hands back up to finish tying the tie. He fixed the collar once again, finally tightening the tie against Dave's neck once it was done. He stepped back to examine his work, only to bring his hands back up to tighten it a little bit more. His fingers brushed against the skin of Dave's neck lightly, and he finally looked up to notice Dave staring right back at him.

He glanced over Dave's face, noticing the expression he could never read. "Is it too tight?" he finally asked after a few moments of silence.

Dave shook his head slightly without looking away. "No," he replied.

Kurt finally broke eye contact. Realizing how close he was to him, he stepped into the changing room that Dave had been in. He cleared his throat, grabbing the black long-sleeve sweater that Mercedes and he had picked out for Dave to try on. "Here," he said, handing it to him without looking back. "Try this on."

Dave took the sweater from him, sliding it on with ease. He pulled at the bottom, straightening it out over the blue button-up shirt, and took a look in the mirror once more. He shrugged and turned back around to face Kurt. "Well?"

"Here, let me just fix this..." Kurt trailed off, pulling the collar of the button-up out and over the sweater. He pushed the sleeves of the sweater up a little bit, letting the sleeves of the button-up go with them to show off Dave's forearms. This time, Kurt noticed his fingers touching Dave's skin, and he could feel himself blushing slightly.

Kurt stepped back a few steps, looking over his work once again. Dave glanced in the mirror momentarily and then turned back. "What do you think?"

"You look perfect," Kurt said before he could stop himself. If Dave couldn't tell that Kurt was blushing before, he would definitely be able to tell now. He faked a cough, scratching at his knuckles lightly even though they didn't itch. Kurt was just trying to find something to do other than stare at Dave standing in front of him. He looked back, shrugging. "What do _you_ think?"

Dave glanced at himself in the mirror once more, taking a good look at the outfit before replying. "I like it," he said sincerely, nodding his head.

"Ah, but the question is... would you actually wear this?"

"Yeah, I think so," Dave replied.

"To school?" Kurt raised one of his eyebrows and smirked.

Dave took a few moments to think about his answer. "Sure, why not?"

Kurt looked down at the floor and started to laugh lightly. He brought his hand up and put it over his mouth in an attempt to hide it. David just looked at him as his mouth opened a little bit in surprise.

"What- you don't believe me?"

"I don't really know, to be honest," Kurt smiled.

Dave smirked, and he squinted as if he were coming up with some sort of idea. "Wanna bet on it?"

Kurt couldn't help but laugh. Though, he was definitely wondering what Dave had in mind with this so-called bet he had created. "What's in it for me?"

"Well," Dave paused for a moment. "If I can't go a whole day of wearing this at school, I have to buy you a coffee sometime."

Kurt laughed once more, "And if you win?"

Dave smiled, glancing around the changing room-area as if it would help him come up with some sort of idea of what he could get if he won the bet. He looked back at Kurt instantly, when a light bulb must have turned on inside his head.

"If I win... you gotta come to school wearing something _I'd_ normally wear."

Both of Kurt's eyebrows shot up, and he gave Dave a look as if he thought that idea was horrible. "Um..." he managed to get out. He recalled the time in sophomore year when he had decided to dress more like his dad...

Kurt didn't really want to repeat that ever again- especially after having to wear a uniform for the few months that he was at Dalton the previous school year.

"Nah, none of that!" Dave shouted as he laughed, pointing his right index finger at Kurt. "You're gonna have to wear some regular jeans and a normal polo. Nothing _fancy_ like you normally wear." He crossed his arms in front of his stomach, attempting to show that this was the only option and that nothing would change his mind.

"Oh my God, David," Kurt said dramatically. He laughed, pausing for a few moments to think it all over. "This is a really lame bet..."

Dave just continued to laugh.

"Wait! I have to wear an outfit you'd wear for an entire day if you win, but if I win... all I get is a coffee?"

Dave shook his head and laughed. "Fine, I'll throw in a muffin or something." He nodded as his usual goofy grin appeared on his face again. "What do you say?"

Kurt smiled, taking a deep breath before nodding back. "Okay, okay... you're on."


	11. Chapter 11

Kurt and Mercedes stood at their opened lockers, which were in close proximity to each other against the same wall, to put away a few textbooks that they didn't need during passing time. Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw Mercedes close her locker and suddenly peer down the hallway to their left.

"You have _got_ to be kidding me..." Mercedes said.

He followed the direction of where she was looking down the hallway only to see Dave wearing the outfit they had picked out for him the previous day, along with Rachel and Quinn on each of his arms walking with him. He had the same goofy grin on his face like he had been having lately.

Kurt turned his head to Mercedes, where she looked back and they both began laughing lightly at the same time. He shook his head, noticing so many of the other students in the hallway watching Dave with Rachel and Quinn. "Mission accomplished, I'd say," he smiled.

Mercedes just looked on at the situation with her mouth open slightly, though the smile that had formed never really left her face.

Santana walked over to them slowly. She was also checking out Dave, like so many of the girls around were doing, from where he had stopped at his locker further down the hallway.

"What is that all about?" she asked, laughing.

Kurt closed his locker, turning around so he could lean up against it as all three of them looked on at Dave from a distance. "_That_ would be Mr. David Karofsky... only a little more put together than usual," he smirked.

Santana looked at both of them, her eyes widening in surprise. "You two did that?" She looked back at Dave. "Damn!" she smiled.

Rachel and Quinn had moved away from Dave to go to their own lockers. Mercedes started walking over towards him. "I'm gonna go say hi to him while he's free," she said without turning to look at them.

Kurt just nodded, giving Dave another glance over before looking back over to Santana.

"You took him shopping?" she asked. "I can't believe he even agreed to go in the first place."

"Yeah, well... I tried to get him to wear a scarf with that outfit, but he just wasn't interested," Kurt smirked.

Santana laughed as her head turned slightly to the side momentarily. "How surprising," she said sarcastically.

"Isn't it?" Kurt laughed too. "Let me know if you see him take any of it off, though. We kind of have a bet going on."

"What kind of bet?" Santana looked at him with a confused, yet still amused, expression on her face.

Kurt sighed lightly, looking back over towards David as he began replying. "Well, if he can last the whole day wearing all of that, I, _apparently_, will have to come to school wearing jeans and a polo he'd normally wear." He turned his head back towards her- a disgusted look forming when he thought about what he'd have to do if he lost the bet.

"Interesting," Santana's eyes widened a bit in surprise for a moment and she began to nod. "What do you get if you win?"

"He'll have to buy me a coffee sometime... and a muffin, I guess. I can't forget about the muffin," Kurt said nonchalantly.

Santana's face became blank instantly, yet she was still nodding. "Hmm," she let out, looking over towards Dave. "He seems okay right now, though. It looks like you might lose."

Kurt just shrugged, "Yeah, we'll see. I'm gonna keep my toes crossed all day." He laughed lightly, turning a little bit to take one last look at Dave before walking off.

"Right." Santana replied, still watching David as she raised one of her eyebrows. She shook her head in irritation before walking away in the same direction Kurt had been heading.

* * *

><p>The next day, Dave had walked into the locker room a little early after school to get changed for football practice. There were only two other freshmen guys in there at the time, where Dave did the typical nod towards both of them before opening up his locker to take out his football gear. He set it on the wooden bench behind him, glancing up when he heard the locker room door open.<p>

In walked Miss Santana Lopez, looking over to the other two guys who were already half undressed. They both stopped and stared at her with their mouths slightly open. "Trust me," she stated. "That's nothing I haven't seen before. Now get lost."

Both of the freshmen jocks just looked at each other and then back to her, yet hadn't moved an inch.

"¡Fuera de aquí!" she shouted, pointing towards the door.

They grabbed their football gear and walked out quickly. Santana looked around the locker room, making sure nobody else was in there before moving towards Dave. He, too, looked around with a confused expression on his face.

"What are you doing?" he asked immediately.

Santana crossed her arms. "What the hell are _you_ doing?"

Dave raised his hands a little, shrugging at her question. "Uh... I'm about to get changed?"

She rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him. "I know you play football and you've probably been hit in the head one too many times, but you really aren't _that_ stupid."

"Okay?" Dave's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. He had no idea as to what she was talking about, but having Santana in his face like this almost always made him uncomfortable.

"I heard about your little bet with Kurt," she said, leaning back against the locker next to his that was still open. Her arms were still crossed as they had been before.

"And?"

Santana scoffed, looking away momentarily. "Are you serious?"

Dave looked around the locker room once more, clearly not understanding anything she was talking about. "I'm so confused right now..."

She uncrossed her arms, bringing her hands together and clasping them so that they made a clapping sound as they hit each other. "Okay, let me ask you this," she paused. "Did you lose the bet?"

"Yeah," Dave nodded, giving her a look that said he wanted her to get to the point she was trying to make quickly.

"So, I'm gonna guess that you purposefully took off that sweater then," she stated in a not so unfamiliar, bitchy tone.

Dave's eyes widened with disbelief. He honestly hadn't meant to lose the bet on purpose, but he had taken his sweater off during glee club rehearsals because they had been practicing one of Mr. Schue's lame dance routines.

He still didn't quite understand why Santana was talking to him about the bet, though. "Um, we were rehearsing. You know, dancing? It was hot... I took it off."

After glee club rehearsals, Kurt had walked over to Dave to tell him that he had lost and that he owed him a coffee- as well as a muffin, of course. Dave hadn't really argued.

Santana stepped away from the lockers, moving to stand in front of Dave. She shook her head in irritation. "And now you get to take Kurt out on a coffee date, right?"

Dave's facial expression softened, as he finally understood where she was going with all of this. He glanced down at his feet, thinking over the bet that he had made with Kurt. "It's not a date..." he said, though he wasn't able to look back up at her when replying.

"Dave," Santana's voice had quieted down. He knew she was waiting for him to stop looking away from her, but he honestly didn't think he could look back at that moment. He just didn't know what to say. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I'm not doing anything!" Dave finally looked at her, though he was now irritated more than anything. _It wasn't going to be a date_, he kept telling himself. He didn't want to believe that he'd have made that kind of mistake- especially not after he had told himself that he wouldn't after seeing how happy Kurt was with Blaine.

Raising his voice just made Santana do the same. "He's with the freakin' Warbler and you know that! What do you think? He's just gonna drop him and come running to you?" She had taken a few steps towards him, attempting to get in his face as much as possible even though she was much shorter. "You're not even out to everyone!"

Dave was beginning to get nervous that someone would overhear their conversation. He kept glancing towards the door and then back to her every few seconds.

"We're just friends! I haven't been trying to do anything!"

Santana glanced towards his open locker, sighing lightly as she closed her eyes for a moment. When she began speaking again, he noticed her voice soften once more. Though, all this did was cause Dave to become even angrier.

"You just really shouldn't get in the middle of all that, okay?" she said sincerely.

"The middle of what?" Dave shrugged, as if he didn't know what she meant by that.

"Their relationship!"

Dave scoffed in irritation. "Oh, like you have room to talk, Lopez. What about all that crap you pulled last year, huh? What about everything you told Brittany about Artie so that she'd come running to you?"

Santana opened her mouth in shock, and Dave knew instantly that he had just pissed her off. They had shared so much with each other since they had started "dating" the previous year, yet he was now throwing all of what she had told him in her face in an attempt to make her feel bad. He really wasn't ready for whatever she was about to throw back.

"Because that's just as bad as what you were doing to Kurt, isn't it? Shoving him around, threatening him, calling him names. Right, Dave," she stated.

She shook her head, shrugging at him as if she didn't care about what she had just said to him. "You know what? Fine. You're right. I screwed up last year. I shouldn't have been saying all of that to Brittany, but I did."

Dave was just pissed off now. He knew he'd done the same thing to her, but she knew how much all of what she had said still bothered him to this day. She had gone ahead and used it against him anyways.

He didn't want to be in the locker room anymore. He didn't want to have to deal with her.

Santana, of course, knew how much she had made Dave angry, but she still couldn't stop herself from continuing. "It happened right here, didn't it?"

"Stop," Dave said immediately. He had started to breathe hard and his eyes had become dark.

"You kissed him," Santana said as she took a step closer. "Right here."

Dave turned away from her towards the lockers, raising his right fist and then slamming it against the cold metal as hard as he could. He was so angry because she knew that bringing up the kiss was the one thing that made him upset more than almost anything else. He hated remembering and thinking about the look Kurt had given him right after he had done it. He hated thinking about how Kurt had pushed him away when he had gone in for a second kiss.

Santana had instantly regretted what she had said when Dave had punched the lockers. She grabbed his right arm before he could do it again, maneuvering herself in front of them. "Stop!" she yelled out.

He shrugged her off of his arm, taking a few steps away from her. He was still breathing hard, shaking his head because of how pissed off he was.

"Sit down," she said as she walked over to where he had begun pacing.

Dave sat down on the wooden bench in front of the lockers. He kept shaking his head, telling himself that it would help him calm down somehow. He leaned forward slightly, putting both of his elbows on his knees and bringing his hands up to hold his head.

Santana slowly sat down next to him. She felt bad. That didn't occur very often, but she wished she hadn't said any of that to Dave now.

She brought her right hand up to his forearm, resting it there as a sign of comfort. She looked at his face as it was leaned down towards his knees, noticing how tight he had his eyes closed.

"I'm sorry," Santana said softly. "I shouldn't have said that."

Dave just sat still, not wanting to even turn slightly to look back at her.

"Look, I know you haven't been doing anything on purpose," Santana continued. "I just," she sighed, looking down towards the floor for a moment. "I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

He finally sat back up and glanced at her, yet still didn't say anything.

"Because if you get hurt... it's just gonna make things worse for you than they already are," she finished.

Dave took a few moments before replying, looking over her face to notice how honest she was being. She really had never lied to him before anyways. Santana cared about him- that much was obvious.

He took a deep breath, where his eyebrows shot up and then back down quickly. "You're right," he said, looking straight ahead towards the lockers as he began shaking his head once more. Dave laughed to himself, though he felt it only came out because he was finally realizing what he had done.

"I didn't even realize what I was doing... I'm such an idiot."

"No, you're not," Santana scoffed. She wrapped both of her arms around his bicep. "If he breaks up with Plaine... I mean, Blaine," she laughed. "Then hey... by all means, go for it."

Dave looked over to her, smirking ever so slightly.

It instantly went away when he saw how serious Santana became. "But if Kurt's happy with him... you just need to be his friend right now."

Dave glanced back at the floor, taking quite a few moments thinking over what she had said. He knew she was right. Kurt was with Blaine. Kurt was happy. That's what he wanted for him. Dave didn't want to ruin any of that.

He slowly began to nod, though he wasn't able to say anything back to her.

Santana understood everything that had been going through Dave's head. While still grabbing onto his arm with both of hers, she turned her head to the side and rested it on his shoulder. He immediately turned and rested his on top of hers, sighing lightly to himself.

"What kind of lame bet was that anyways?" she asked.

All Dave could do was laugh.


	12. Chapter 12

As another PFLAG meeting was coming to an end, Kurt couldn't help but glance over at Dave quite a few times from across the room. Dave had been sitting at one of the tables, staring down at the top of it pretty much the entire time while his arms were crossed in front of his stomach. He had been acting so strange around Kurt for a few days now, and it was really starting to get to him as to why.

Kurt really hadn't been paying attention to anything that Ms. Pillsbury had been saying, only to start listening as she was finishing up. He looked up from where he was sitting to focus on her while she was standing up in front of the classroom.

"As members of PFLAG, we need to remind ourselves, as well as everyone else, that is unacceptable for LGBT students to not be able to learn in a positive and safe environment. But this also continues on outside of the learning community. Remember, we are looking towards a future full of equality for everyone- no matter who they are or who they love."

She looked around the room at each of the members, smiling sweetly like she always did. "Does anyone have anything else they'd like to add before we go?" She looked around once more, shrugging lightly after asking the question. "Kurt?" she asked, glancing in his direction.

"I think we're all set," he nodded.

Ms. Pillsbury smiled again, nodding back. "Thank you, everybody. We'll see you at our next meeting after winter break."

Mostly everyone began to get up, grabbing their belongings before saying bye to one another and heading towards the door to leave. Kurt stood up, waving at Mercedes before walking over to where Ms. Pillsbury was standing near David.

"If either of you wants to just drop off the packet we need for next time, I'll go ahead and make copies, okay?" she said, looking back and forth between the both of them.

Kurt was the first to respond. "Thank you, Ms. Pillsbury."

"You boys have a good weekend," she replied, as she began walking towards the door.

"You too," Dave mumbled from where he was sitting.

Everyone was out of the classroom now except for Dave and Kurt. Dave made no attempt to stand up, and he was still just staring down at the top of the table in front of him. Kurt slowly pulled the chair out next to him in order to sit down.

"What's going on with you?"

Dave, who looked exhausted and possibly upset about something, finally turned his head to see Kurt. "What do you mean?" he shrugged lightly.

One of Kurt's eyebrows rose in response. "You've been acting weird all week. It's like... I try and talk to you about something, and all you seem to do now is give me one word replies or you just grunt."

"I don't know," Dave said, as he looked back towards the table. "I just have a lot on my mind, I guess."

"Such as?" There was silence for quite a few moments before Kurt decided to say something else. "What? Please just tell me."

Dave sighed, looking away from the table to focus on Kurt again. "I'm, uh... I'm just so tired of being nervous around my parents. You know," he scoffed, shaking his head. "Sometimes I honestly feel like it's worse when I'm at home than when I'm here. I'm always worried about what I'm doing and what I'm saying when they're around... and I'm just sick of it."

Kurt nodded, showing that he understood what Dave was talking about. He looked away momentarily, swallowing before asking the question that had instantly came to his mind. "Are you thinking about telling them?"

Dave stood up from his chair, walking away from the table towards one of the windows in the classroom. He gazed out towards the falling snow, shaking his head before he could even reply. "I don't know," he said quietly. "I really don't. It's like... we'll just be sitting there eating dinner together and... I keep telling myself... _just tell them_. Just say it."

He looked down towards his feet, sighing again before turning back around towards Kurt. "And then I'll finally look at them and I just..." he shook his head once more. "I feel like I'm just gonna be a disappointment to them."

Kurt's mouth opened just a little bit, and he stood up immediately to walk over to Dave. "David... don't say that. You will never be a disappointment to anyone." Kurt paused to glance at the floor, attempting to gather all of his thoughts before looking back. "I've seen how your dad is with you. I've seen the way he talks about you. He loves you more than anything..."

Dave hadn't taken his eyes off Kurt yet, but the sadness on his face never seemed to change. "Maybe he just loves the son he thinks he knows." He walked passed Kurt, over to where his backpack was laying on top of one of the tables.

"Why would finding out that you're gay make him not love you anymore?" Kurt asked as he followed the other boy. "You're always going to be his son, no matter what happens."

Kurt searched Dave's face for some kind of acknowledgement, but it didn't come. He shook his head, not understanding what was going through Dave's mind at that moment. "Do you really think there's a chance that he's gonna push you away after he finds out?"

Dave stayed silent for a few moments, keeping his eyes on Kurt. He started breathing harder, clearly thinking about the different scenarios that could occur if he told his parents the truth. "I do, actually," he said simply.

"David..."

"No, Kurt," Dave interrupted him. "You can sit there and say you think you know my dad and how he feels about me because you've seen how he is a couple of times, but... come on." He walked back towards the window, crossing his arms in front of his stomach.

Dave tried to calm himself down to slow his breathing, shutting his eyes tight. He wanted to turn back around towards Kurt, but he felt like his body just wouldn't move at that moment. He opened his eyes, looking out towards the snow once more. "My dad's not a horrible guy, but," he paused to lick his upper lip. "I've just... he's just said so much about people like us in the past in front of me."

Kurt slowly made his way over to stand next to David. He, too, began to look out the window to watch the falling snow hit the ground outside. "Like what?" he asked softly.

"Like if he's watching a movie or TV or the news and something comes up, he always has to say something," Dave sighed. "Like the other day, they were talking about gay marriage and..." he trailed off.

"What did he say?" Kurt asked, turning his head to look up at him.

Dave met his gaze. "He didn't even say anything that time," he replied in irritation. "He just rolled his eyes." He shook his head, letting both of his hands slide deep into his pockets, as he began pacing back and forth from the window to the table.

Kurt walked in front of Dave as he made his way back to the window, causing the jock to stop pacing and stand still. "What about your mom?"

"She never says anything," he responded. He was looking at the right towards the wall, unable to look back at Kurt. "If my dad says something about 'the gays,'" he changed his voice slightly, "she just sits there."

"I see," Kurt said softly.

Dave glanced at Kurt, gazing over his face momentarily as if analyzing it like he had done so many times before. He shook his head, shrugging lightly. "Maybe I'll just wait until I move out of the house to come out to them... then if they decide to stop talking to me or whatever, I won't have to worry about where to go."

He said it as if it was no big deal at all. Kurt's mouth opened a little bit in surprise, where a confused expression came to his face immediately. "You think they'd kick you out if you told them?"

"I don't know," Dave said quietly after a few moments of silence. "I wish I could tell myself that they wouldn't, but..." he looked away, shaking his head once more.

"David," Kurt said, putting his hands on both of Dave's forearms so that his friend would look back towards him. "I'm so sorry..."

Kurt knew how lucky he was to have a father like Burt. It hurt him so much to know that Dave felt like he couldn't even tell his parents the truth... right at that moment, Kurt wished that he could make all of this so much easier for Dave.

"Please, don't," Dave replied, closing his eyes and shaking his arms so that Kurt would let go. "I don't need anybody to feel sorry for me."

"Okay," Kurt said sadly, nodding.

Dave let out a deep breath, moving to stand in front of the table where his backpack was. He paused for a moment before turning his head back towards Kurt. "What did your dad say when you told him?"

Kurt took a few steps closer, smiling softly. "He said he already knew... but I guess I'm a little more obvious than you are," he laughed lightly.

Dave smiled back, shaking his head, as he looked right at Kurt. "Don't ever try to hide it... you're perfect just the way you are, you know?"

"Are you gonna start singing Bruno Mars to me?"

It was a stupid response. Kurt knew that. He wished he wouldn't have said that, but he couldn't think of anything else to say to Dave at that moment.

Dave let out a chuckle, glancing away momentarily only to look right back. The smirk that had been on his face went away instantly, where he replied in a serious tone. "I mean it, though," he nodded. "Don't ever let anybody make you change or hide who you are."

He turned to grab his backpack off the top of the table, taking a few steps towards the door to leave the classroom. He stopped abruptly, turning back around when he must have thought of something else that he wanted to say to Kurt.

"Oh, hey... I still owe you a coffee, right?"

Kurt smiled and nodded briefly, "yeah."

"Wanna go tomorrow?" Dave smiled back.

"Okay."

The smile left Dave's face as he looked down towards the floor. He cleared his throat, taking another deep breath before glancing back up towards Kurt. "Um... why don't you ask Blaine if he wants to come with?"

Kurt's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "I don't have to..."

Dave nodded, "I know. I just... I don't think he'd really like it if it was just you and me, you know?"

The confused expression was still on Kurt's face. He wasn't sure why, but what Dave had said caused a feeling inside of him that he didn't quite understand.

"But we're just friends..." Kurt said softly.

Dave kept his eyes on Kurt, waiting a few moments before saying anything back.

"I know."

He glanced over Kurt's face a few times, swallowing once, before walking out the door.

Kurt crossed his arms in front of his stomach, standing all alone in the middle of the classroom. He still didn't understand why he felt the way that he did.

* * *

><p>"So, we were just going back and forth over a bunch of songs for us to perform and Wes kept suggesting 'Baby Got Back.' I mean, could you imagine the Warblers singing that? I don't even think <em>I'd<em> be able to keep a straight face during that song."

Kurt had his left elbow on the top of the table, while his left hand was holding his head up from under his chin. Honestly, he had only been half-listening to Blaine talking, though he kept looking back and forth between his boyfriend and Dave.

Dave was sitting on the other side of the table at the Lima Bean, taking a sip of his coffee every now and then. He would occasionally glance at Blaine, and then over to Kurt, and then back down towards his cup. A blank expression had been on his face since the time all three of them had arrived, and it had yet to change into anything else.

Kurt soon realized that he had been staring at Dave for a little longer than he had meant to, and he saw Blaine waiting for a response from him out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over quickly, swallowing once between replying.

"Yeah, I guess that would be difficult," he said unenthusiastically.

Clearly, Blaine hadn't noticed how neither Dave nor Kurt was interested in what he had been talking about. He took another drink from his cup, nodding excitedly. "I know! I just had to tell them that there was no way that I was going to sing that."

"Hmm," Kurt let out softly. "Did you?"

Blaine gave Kurt a look as if he was taken aback. "Well... yeah."

Dave cleared his throat, causing both Blaine and Kurt to look over to him from the other side of the table. He had an eyebrow raised as he began to speak. "So are you, like... the lead singer or something?" he asked dryly.

"Well, no... not really," Blaine replied, shaking his head. "We have a council of upper classmen that usually decide on who gets to sing the solos during our performances."

Both of Dave's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "But... you pretty much get them all, right?"

Dave had heard this from a few of the members of New Directions. It wasn't that they were talking bad about Blaine behind his back. It was more of just making simple conversation about their competition- that was, the Dalton Academy Warblers.

Blaine pushed his cup of coffee back and forth between his hands, glancing down at it momentarily as he thought over Dave's question. "Um... well, I mean... I guess I get a lot of them."

"So..." Dave paused. "You can't just tell them to let someone else sing then?"

Kurt's eyebrows shot up in response. He glanced at Dave and then back to Blaine immediately.

"Yeah, of course I can," Blaine shrugged. "I mean, last year at regionals, I made it so that Kurt and I could sing a duet."

Dave nodded briefly. "Oh. What'd you sing?"

"'Candles' by Hey Monday," Blaine smirked.

Dave looked at Kurt with the confused expression still on face. He glanced over to the wall on his left, then back to the table, and then back towards Blaine moments later. "Isn't that a song about a break-up?" His mouth was slightly open as if he didn't understand why they had decided to duet on that song.

Kurt's eyes widened just a bit more. He picked up his coffee cup, taking a sip of it for something to do, as he felt the conversation was moving into an awkward territory.

Blaine thought about it for a moment, shrugging again. "Yeah, actually. It is. That's right around when we started dating, funnily enough." He laughed lightly, looking over to Kurt and smiling.

"Yep," Kurt replied with a tense smile on his face. He turned his head towards Dave quickly before looking down at his cup again, letting out a fake cough.

"Cool," Dave said, lifting his right hand up for a moment to rub his chin.

Blaine took another drink, letting out a deep breath. "So... enough about me. How are things at McKinley?" He looked back and forth between Kurt and Dave.

"Fine," Kurt said quickly.

Blaine raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you okay?"

Kurt nodded, and then shrugged ever so slightly. "Yeah, why?"

"Hey, uh..." Dave interrupted. "I've been meaning to ask you, what was that song you sang at prom last year?"

It was a random question, but at least it was a change of subject for Dave.

Kurt, on the other hand, wasn't the biggest fan of talking about anything related to their junior prom.

"Oh, I sang 'I'm Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance With You' by the Black Kids," Blaine replied.

Dave nodded again. "Long song name."

Blaine let out a soft laugh. "Yeah, it is. Did you like it?"

"Yeah, it was alright. I'll, uh... have to check it out again later."

Kurt looked towards the front counter, sighing lightly as he shook his head in irritation. "Let's not talk about prom, shall we?"

"Oh, I'm sorry," Blaine said quickly. He gave Kurt a smile as he was remembering that talking about prom wasn't always the best subject for his boyfriend.

"It's fine," Kurt shrugged. "I'd just rather not think about that whole incident." He looked over to Dave, whose facial expression had grown blank once more. "Oh," Kurt said, shaking his head at him. "I mean, the whole voting me prom queen thing, obviously. Nothing to do with you."

Dave just nodded. "Right."

"You gonna wear a kilt again if you go this year?" Blaine asked jokingly.

Kurt slowly turned his head towards him, an irritated look on his face. "Maybe," he simply said.

He really wasn't planning on going to their senior prom this year anyways. But after Blaine's comments about what he wore last time, it was still a bit of a sore subject for him.

Blaine instantly gave Kurt a sympathetic look. "Kurt, I'm sorry. I was just kidding."

Dave was looking back and forth between them, blinking a few times as he didn't understand what they were talking about. "Was there something wrong with wearing the kilt?"

"I don't know..." Blaine laughed lightly. "I had just told Kurt that I thought it'd be better if he wore something more... typical, I guess," he said as he shrugged.

Once again, Dave's eyebrows came together in confusion. "Why?"

Blaine sighed. "I... just had a bad experience once at a dance with a guy I went with... I thought, you know, if we were going to go together, it'd be better to not try and stick out so much."

Dave looked over to Kurt and then back to Blaine. "But, that's not trying to stick out..." he said as he glanced back over to Kurt again. "You were just being yourself, right?"

At this point, Kurt was unsure of what to say. He was looking at Dave, yet was playing with the uneaten muffin in front of him as it sat on the table. Blaine responded before Kurt could decide on how to reply.

"Oh, I know that!" he said quickly. "I wasn't trying to imply that Kurt tries to stick out on purpose. I just meant that... you know, with how people are nowadays... sometimes it's better when they can't _just tell_."

Dave still looked confused. "How is that better?"

"Um... so you don't have to get _those_ kinds of looks or comments from people... I mean, we're not always treated equally when they know."

"So..." Dave swallowed once. "How would trying to look and act like everyone else help then?"

Blaine turned his head to look at Kurt for a moment. He looked back at Dave, shaking his head briefly. "Well... it wouldn't. I just mean, sometimes it's easier-"

"To tell Kurt to not be himself?" Dave interrupted.

If Kurt didn't know what to say before, he definitely didn't know what to say now. He looked over to Blaine, noticing his mouth had dropped open in surprise.

"I'm not saying that at all..."

Dave took his hands off of the top of the table and dropped them down into his lap. "You just told me that you didn't want him to wear what he wore at prom, right?"

Blaine's eyebrows shot up and he glanced down at his coffee cup momentarily. "Well, I mean... I suggested it, but-"

"I'm just saying that... if you're his boyfriend, you should be there for him and support him in whatever decision he makes... not telling him he shouldn't wear something just because it'll be easier for you."

Kurt could tell that Dave was really irritated, but he wasn't completely sure as to why bringing up the conversation about the kilt he had worn to prom was the main cause of it.

Blaine raised his hands up in defense. His voice had a hint of irritation in it as well. "I was just trying to look out for him. And I only said it because it would've been easier for both of us- not just me."

"But that's never gonna help," Dave said immediately. "Shouldn't it be about getting people to accept you for who you are instead of who you're pretending to be?"

Kurt's eyes were on David, and he felt as if he couldn't look away from him even if he wanted to. He finally realized what Dave had been saying all along. It wasn't _just_ about Kurt and what he had worn to prom- it was about himself, too.

"Yes, of course..." Blaine said quietly, as if he was taken aback.

Dave looked around the Lima Bean, now noticing how serious the conversation had gotten. He glanced down towards the table in front of him, letting out a deep breath, before quickly grabbing his coffee cup and standing up from his chair. "Uh, I gotta go..."

"What?" Kurt asked in confusion.

"Yeah," Dave nodded. "I uh... got some things to do. I'll see you guys later." He walked away from the table towards the main entrance doors.

Kurt stood up, taking a few steps towards him. "David," he called out.

Dave left without looking back.

Kurt instantly remembered the conversation that he had with Dave after the PFLAG meeting from the previous day. _Don't ever let anybody make you change or hide who you are..._

He sighed, glancing down at the floor, as his shoulders seemed to slump just a bit. He turned back around and sat down at the table where Dave had been sitting.

Blaine, now sitting diagonally from him, just looked at Kurt as if he didn't understand anything that had just happened. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know," Kurt lied. "He's just... been dealing with a lot of stuff lately, I guess."

He had expected for Blaine to just nod or shrug, along with some sort of change of subject. Yet, Blaine's expression only became more serious.

"Was he right?"

Kurt wasn't sure of exactly what he'd meant by that. "About what?"

Blaine looked down at his coffee cup, clearly thinking about all of the things that Dave had talked about. "All that he just said about me..." he replied, glancing back up to Kurt. "Am I wrong for wanting to make things easier sometimes?"

Taking quite a few moments to respond without looking away, Kurt slowly started shaking his head. "I... I don't know," he said softly.

That clearly wasn't the answer Blaine had wanted. He seemed hurt, though still a little confused about everything. "Did I really upset you that much when I said all that last year?"

"I don't know, I... I just didn't see what the problem was. I mean, I wore it anyways and you didn't say anything, so... it's fine," he paused. "We're fine."

"Are you sure?"

Kurt's mouth opened, and he looked around as if he was now getting angry. "Where is this coming from?" he asked, shaking his head again. "Just because he said all that?"

"Do I do that to you a lot? Like... with everything?"

"Blaine, stop. Why are you getting so worried all of a sudden?"

Blaine swallowed once, looking down towards the table. He began pushing his coffee cup between his hands once more, making it seem as if he couldn't glance back up.

"Are you happy?" he asked quietly.

Kurt was still looking at him in confusion. "With what?"

Blaine looked up. "Us," he said simply.

"Are you being serious right now?"

"Just answer the question, Kurt," Blaine shrugged. "I won't ask you anything else about it," he said sincerely.

Kurt didn't look away from Blaine, yet he felt himself hesitating when trying to answer. He glanced over his face a few times, attempting to make himself start speaking. After another few moments, he finally replied back.

"Of course I'm happy... Why wouldn't I be?"

Kurt really didn't know if Blaine would believe him. He honestly didn't know if he believed himself.

All Blaine did was slowly begin to nod.


	13. Chapter 13

Kurt was in the auditorium by himself. It was awhile after school had ended, and he had stayed behind because he had wanted to be by himself for a little while. It was the last school day before winter break, and he should've been happy about that. Instead, he honestly didn't know how he was feeling. He had been feeling the same way ever since the day at the Lima Bean with Blaine and Dave.

He stood on the stage, looking out towards all of the seats. Kurt had actually done this quite a few times before. He'd picture being up on a stage in Broadway, performing to sell-out crowds full of people that had came just to see him. These were the kinds of thoughts that could usually make him feel better.

Kurt glanced down towards the stage floor, raising his left hand to smooth out his shirt for a moment. He looked back out towards the auditorium seats, clearing his throat, before beginning to sing softly to himself.

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas  
><em>_Let your heart be light  
><em>_From now on  
><em>_Our troubles will be out of sight_

_Have yourself a merry little Christmas  
><em>_Make the Yuletide gay  
><em>_From now on  
><em>_Our troubles will be miles away_

_Here we are as in olden days  
><em>_Happy golden days of Yore  
><em>_Faithful friends who are dear to us  
><em>_Gather near to us once more_

_Through the years  
><em>_We all will be together  
><em>_If the Fates allow  
><em>_Hang a shining star upon the highest bough_

_And have yourself a merry little Christmas now_

Kurt looked down towards the floor once again, sighing lightly. He closed his eyes for a moment and imagined the applause that he could, one day, receive. He opened them slowly, only to see something moving out of the corner of his eye. He glanced over to his left by the first row of seats to see Dave setting his backpack down on one of them.

"How long have you been standing there?" Kurt asked, setting his hands on his hips and raising an eyebrow.

Dave slid his hands deep into his pockets, shrugging. "I don't know... just a few minutes, I think."

Kurt looked away, smirking. "Were you planning on trying to scare me?" he asked jokingly.

"Uh," Dave laughed. "No, I don't think so."

"Okay, good," Kurt laughed too. He walked a little closer to the stage steps, crossing his arms over his stomach. "What are you still doing here?"

Dave swallowed once, glancing down at his feet before looking back up. "Just wasting time, I guess. I wasn't really ready to go home yet." He took a few steps towards the stairs, but didn't walk up them. "What about you?"

Kurt shrugged. "I just wanted to be by myself for a little while... I have a lot of things on my mind right now, I guess."

Dave nodded briefly. "Do you want me to leave?"

"No, it's okay," Kurt said, as he shook his head. "But don't stay down there, though," he smiled. "You're making me nervous." He laughed lightly, bending down to sit on the steps that went up to the stage.

"I'm sorry," Dave said dramatically, as he laughed again. He walked up the stairs a little bit, only to sit down next to Kurt on the same step he'd sat down on. He turned his head to the left to look at him, smiling. "You sing really well," he said softly.

Kurt smiled back. "Thank you." He jabbed Dave's arm with his right elbow. "You're not so bad yourself, you know."

Dave let out a small laugh. "Thanks."

"So... are doing anything special over break?"

"No, not really," Dave shook his head. He glanced back down towards his shoes, taking a deep breath. "Just spending some time with the family, I guess. But probably not much else." Dave looked back over to Kurt. "How about you?"

"Same, mostly," Kurt shrugged. His eyes widened as he began speaking again, "I have to say that I'm not looking forward to Finn waking me up really early Christmas morning like he did last year, of course, but..." he laughed. "Whatever."

Dave smiled, though his mouth was open slightly and his eyebrows were wrinkled in confusion. "Was he excited about Santa leaving him presents or something?"

Kurt rolled his eyes in irritation. "Something like that. Everybody _had_ to be up before anyone could start opening presents, so," he laughed again. "He was definitely getting a little antsy."

Dave nodded, smiling back down towards his shoes. "Do you like having a brother?"

"Yeah, I do," Kurt paused for a moment. "Well, most of the time, at least. Finn can be a little irritating at times, but... I'm sure I'm the same way."

"You?" Dave asked, looking back with an obviously fake, puzzled expression on his face. "Irritating? Never."

Kurt scoffed, before smirking once more. "Jerk."

Dave laughed lightly, hitting Kurt's shoulder with his own. "I'm just kidding."

"Good," Kurt nodded. "So... have you talked to Azimio lately?"

Dave's expression grew serious. He looked out towards the seats, shaking his head. "No... not exactly, anyways. We might say something to each other every now and then when we're out practicing or playing a game, but... I don't know." He looked back, shrugging. "It's fine."

Kurt glanced over Dave's face for a moment, giving him a sympathetic look. "How close were you two anyways? I mean... don't get me wrong, but most of the time when I saw you two together, you guys were just going around starting stuff with everybody. Did you... hang out outside of school or-"

"Yeah, of course we did," Dave interrupted. "I mean... yeah, most of the time we were messing around with people, but," he stated, a sad look coming to his face. "He was definitely my best friend at one time."

Kurt nodded, where his eyebrows shot up and then back down quickly. "You probably miss hanging out with him then."

Dave shrugged. "I don't know," he replied, shaking his head. "I guess I miss a few things, but... I don't miss most of it, to be honest."

"The slushy throwing? The locker checking?" Kurt laughed lightly.

"Yeah," Dave smirked. "I should probably let you throw a slushy or two in my face, huh?"

"Probably, yes," Kurt laughed again, looking back towards David with a smile. "But no... I couldn't do that to you."

He smiled back, nodding ever so slightly. "We could go outside and you could throw a few snowballs at my face, if you want. It's a little different from a slushy, but I'm sure it'd still hurt like hell."

Kurt looked away as his smile grew. "Yeah, I'm sure it would... But no, that's okay."

Dave sighed, rubbing his palms against his jeans as he stood up. He walked down the steps and turned to face Kurt, who was still sitting down. "Kurt, I... I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for the other day with Blaine. I just mean that... I wasn't trying to start anything with him on purpose."

"I know you weren't," Kurt nodded at first, and then began to shake his head. "You don't have to apologize for that."

"But he makes you happy..." Dave said, as he looked back down at his feet. He glanced back up at Kurt, taking a few moments before saying anything else. "I just hope that I didn't start anything between you two."

Kurt shook his head again. "Oh, you didn't. It's fine, really." He moved his feet up a step, clasping his hands together against his knees. "To be honest, you pretty much said everything that I had been wanting to say to him for awhile now..." he trailed off, swallowing once. "You weren't wrong," he said softly.

"I wasn't?"

"No," Kurt sighed. He stood up on the steps, walking down a few to stand on the bottom one. "I don't know, I mean... I'm really happy when I'm with him," he closed his eyes for a moment. "But then I'll be away from him and I'll start to think about everything, and... sometimes I feel like I'm not completely being myself when I'm around him."

Dave's expression hadn't changed. He simply nodded slightly, waiting for Kurt to continue.

"It's like... I'm hesitating with certain things or something," Kurt said, shaking his head. "I don't know if that even makes any sense at all, but..."

Dave nodded again. "No, it does. I mean... obviously, I haven't been in a relationship before, but... I can guess that that'd be pretty hard sometimes."

Kurt instantly began smiling at him, where Dave gave him a confused look quickly.

"What?" Dave asked.

Kurt laughed lightly, crossing his arms in front of his stomach. "I was just picturing you being in a relationship with somebody."

Dave's confused expression hadn't changed yet.

"I think you could definitely be good boyfriend material," Kurt finished.

David smiled, looking down towards the floor. "Maybe eventually, but," he began, glancing back up where his smile diminished. "I don't think I really am right now. I mean, I'm still not out to everybody, and... I still have a lot of things to deal with."

"Yeah, but..." Kurt shrugged. "You're working on it."

"I'm trying, anyways," Dave smiled again. He cleared his throat, shuffling his weight between his feet as if he had become nervous about something. He slid his hands back into his pockets, before focusing back on Kurt. "So, um... I know you said that you didn't like talking about it the other day, but... I'm sorry I kind of left you there by yourself at prom last year."

Kurt's expression grew sad, and he began shaking his head once more. "David... don't even worry about that. Honestly, that was my fault. I should never have told you to come out right then and there... I felt so stupid after I thought about it again."

"No, it's okay," Dave replied. "I understand why you said it." He shrugged, "I'm just sorry that I wasn't able to stay back then."

"Yeah, you definitely shouldn't have left," Kurt smiled. "You missed out on a dance with _me_," he said dramatically. "And I just happen to be the greatest dancer _ever_."

Dave laughed. "Is that so?"

Kurt nodded, a smug look forming on his face. "Of course, it is. I'd be out winning a bunch of competitions right now if I wanted to."

"Yeah, I bet," Dave laughed a bit harder, where he started to nod briefly. "I've seen you break it down a couple of times... you're pretty good."

"Pretty good?" Kurt said, mockingly. He raised one of his eyebrows. "No... I think I'm amazing," he joked. They both started laughing at how stupid the conversation had become. "You're not so bad yourself, you know."

It was Dave's turn to look smug. "Yeah, well... I think I do okay, definitely," he laughed again.

There a few moments of silence, until Kurt finally decided that he wanted to ask Dave the one question that he never thought he'd ever ask.

"Can I ask you something?"

Dave nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Kurt looked down at the floor momentarily, taking a deep breath before looking back up.

"Why did you kiss me last year?"

Dave glanced over Kurt's face a few times. He focused on something towards the back of the stage, licking his upper lip once. He let out a soft sigh, looking back to Kurt when he finally realized how he wanted to answer.

"I was just... really confused back then," he nodded. "I mean, you know that already, but... you came into the locker room and you were just yelling at me and standing up to me and..." Dave looked away again. "I don't really even know how to say it."

He waited for some sort of acknowledgment from Kurt, but all Kurt did was wait for him to continue instead of doing anything else.

Dave got the hint and tried to finish what he was trying to say. "When you did all that, you were just... the first person to break through me, I guess," he said quietly, shaking his head once more. "I had always been hiding from everybody up until then and... I was hiding from myself... but you got right in my face and..." he shrugged a little bit.

"You just made me let go of it all," Dave continued. "I remember wanting you to go away, but..."

"You needed to know if what you were feeling was real," Kurt finished.

Dave's gaze stayed on Kurt's face for a few moments. He thought over what Kurt had said, before he began to nod slowly. "Yeah."

He glanced away from Kurt once more, taking another look down towards his feet, while his hands were still deep in his pockets. "I just wanted to know what it felt like," he said without looking back up. Dave shrugged again lightly, "I had never kissed anybody before."

Kurt nodded, never taking his eyes off of Dave. "I had never been kissed by a guy before," he replied softly.

Dave looked back up at Kurt with a painful look on his face. Kurt realized that Dave probably hadn't realized that he had taken his first real kiss from him. He began shaking his head, where his mouth was slightly open in surprise. "I'm so sorry, Kurt..."

"It's okay," Kurt responded immediately, nodding quickly. "It happened a long time ago, and... we're okay now."

Dave took a few moments to glance over Kurt's face again, before he also began to nod. A small smile formed on his face, where he took his right hand out of his pocket to rub the back of his neck. "Well... I should probably get going."

Kurt nodded again, as he watched Dave turn around to take his backpack off of one of the auditorium seats. He stopped abruptly, looking down at it as if he was trying to make a decision about something. He turned back around towards Kurt with it in his hand, taking a few steps closer to the stage steps.

"I know that this is probably really stupid, but, um... I got you something."

Kurt smiled, letting one of his eyebrows raise in response. "For what?"

"I don't know," Dave laughed lightly. "Just for all the times I screwed up, I guess... for what happened with Blaine the other day," he shrugged. He glanced down at his backpack momentarily, taking a deep breath. "But, you could just think of it as a Christmas present, really."

"I feel bad now," Kurt laughed. "I didn't get you anything."

"Oh, don't even worry about that," Dave replied, shaking his head. "You've been helping me so much lately... that's been enough," he smiled.

Kurt instantly smiled back. They both stood there for a few moments- neither moving nor saying anything else. "Well... can I see what it is then?"

"Uh..." Dave began, rubbing the back of his neck once more. He seemed to become nervous quickly, as he began fidgeting with his backpack. "Yeah, sure," he finally said, taking a few steps towards Kurt, who was still standing on the bottom step of the stairs.

"This is _really_ stupid, by the way," Dave continued, as he unzipped the backpack and put his hand inside. "You're probably just gonna look at me like I'm crazy."

Kurt laughed, "I'm sure it's fine."

Dave nodded. "Okay, um... here." He pulled his hand out, handing Kurt a small teddy bear.

Kurt just stared at it for a few moments with a confused expression on his face. He knew that he was smiling, though he thought that he probably looked a little crazy. "It's a teddy bear..." he said softly.

Dave glanced away nervously, swallowing once. "I know," he said, zipping his backpack up.

"I don't get it," Kurt said, looking back up at Dave with the confused smile still on his face.

"It's stupid," Dave laughed, though he was obviously still nervous. "It was just on my mind since you said that I _was_ one awhile back, and I saw it... and... I don't know."

Kurt immediately began laughing. "Oh my God, David..."

Dave raised both of his hands up in defense, as he started laughing harder. "I know, I know. It's dumb," he said, looking down towards the floor and shaking his head.

"No," Kurt replied. Dave glanced back up at him. "It's... actually kind of adorable." His smile grew as he looked back down at the teddy bear. "Thank you," Kurt nodded.

Dave nodded back. "You're welcome," he smiled. His expression then changed as he raised one of his eyebrows and started looking around the auditorium jokingly, seeing if anyone was in there with them. "Maybe we should just... keep this between us?" he laughed.

Kurt laughed back in response. "Yeah, you gotta keep your reputation up, huh?"

"I don't really think I have much of a rep anymore, but... yeah, sure," Dave chuckled.

"Well... thank you," Kurt responded sincerely.

Dave looked over Kurt's face for a moment, as his usual goofy grin formed. "Yeah, no problem." He took a deep breath, nodding once more. "I guess I better get home."

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna head off soon."

"Okay, well... I hope that you have a good break."

"You too," Kurt replied.

Dave smiled once more, turning back around to head for one of the exits of the auditorium. He had only taken a few steps before...

"Hey, Dave?" Kurt called out.

He turned back around quickly. "Yeah?"

Kurt paused for a moment, where he then stepped off of the last step of the stairs, walking over until he was standing right in front of David. He smiled, looking right into Dave's eyes as he began leaning forward. He turned his head just a little bit, kissing Dave's cheek softly before leaning back.

"Merry Christmas," Kurt smiled again.

Dave smiled back, and Kurt could instantly see him blushing slightly.

"Merry Christmas, Kurt."


	14. Chapter 14

Dave was standing at his locker, putting away textbooks and notebooks from classes that he had already had earlier in the day. He stopped for a moment, clearly thinking about something that made him happy as he began to smile ever so slightly. He shook his head, taking a deep breath, before shutting his locker closed. Glancing over to his right, he noticed Azimio walking down the hallway directly towards him. The smile that had formed moments earlier slipped away instantly, as an irritated expression grew onto his face quickly as his former best friend continued to get closer to him.

Azimio stopped in front of Dave, a similar expression to Dave's on his face as well. He looked around the hallway for a moment before turning back.

"Did you need something?" Dave asked.

Azimio shook his head briefly, taking a glance towards the lockers. "Man... what's been with you lately?"

Dave slid his hands into his pockets, where one of his eyebrows shot up as he attempted to stand up a little straighter. "Nothing that you need to worry about."

"I definitely didn't say I was worrying," Azimio shot back. He scoffed, shaking his head once more. "What's going on with you?"

"Things change," Dave shrugged. "That's just the way it goes sometimes."

"Yeah," Azimio nodded. "Something like that, right? I mean, one minute, we're making fun of all those losers in glee club and then the next... you're joining them for a song and a dance."

Dave rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well... I'm pretty sure I remember you saying that you liked it last year when you had to go out there and sing and dance with them. But like I said, things change."

Azimio's eyes narrowed, yet he said nothing. Dave still hated that it was like this between them, but he honestly didn't know what else he could expect after everything that had happened.

"You know," Dave continued. "It's funny from this side though, seeing as you kind of seem like the loser around here."

Azimio opened his mouth slightly. "You serious?"

Dave cocked his head to the side as he spoke again. "Did it seem like I was joking?"

"So that's how it is now, huh?" Azimio scoffed once again, only this time, it was in amusement. He took a step closer to Dave, holding his head up a little higher as he was attempting to intimidate him. "Trying to be a tough guy again?"

"You're not even worth it, Z." Dave shook his head, looking down the hallway as he hoped Azimio would just leave. They hadn't actually talked in a few months, besides a few words here and there when football was still going on. Dave just didn't want to deal with any of this right now. He had other things to worry about.

Azimio nodded. "Oh, is that right?"

Dave took a step closer to Azimio, as the irritation was clearly present as he spoke. "Just back off, man. You stay out of my way... and I'll stay out of yours."

Neither noticed how a few students who were in the hallway were watching them, waiting for some sort of fight to break out at any moment.

"And what are you gonna do if I don't? Huh?"

Dave began to smile as he looked to the left and the right behind Azimio. "Well... I don't see any of your backup around here, so... you really wanna settle this little problem that we have right now?"

Azimio's expression softened, and he glanced over Dave's face for a few moments. He let out a deep breath, looking around the hallway towards the few students that had begun to watch them. He took a step back, shaking his head once more. "You know what? I don't need backup just to say something to you."

He glanced at the floor, shrugging as he began to speak again. "Fine... I'm a bit of a jerk and I'd be the first to admit that. But you?" Azimio shook his head. "I don't even get you, Karofsky... I don't get it."

"There's nothing to get," Dave replied sternly. "I was sick and tired of the way things were... I told you that."

"Yeah, I heard that," Azimio laughed lightly. "But for you to make a complete switch without saying anything to me... _that_, I don't get."

Dave rolled his eyes, taking his hands out of his pockets as he crossed them in front of his stomach. "What do you care? I mean... really? It's not like much has changed for you compared to the last three years, so... what does it even matter?"

Azimio laughed again, nodding. "I figured you'd say something like that. And that's fine," he shrugged. "Maybe you just forgot about how we used to be best friends, but..." he shook his head. "Whatever."

"I didn't forget," Dave responded. "But there comes a time where you wanna stop being an idiot around everybody and you wanna start to grow up a little bit."

"So, I'm an idiot now?" Azimio scoffed.

Dave took a few moments before replying. "All that we did awhile back... everything we used to do to everybody... yeah," he nodded. "We were both acting like idiots. I'm sorry if you can't see that."

Azimio looked around the hallway again, a look of disbelief on his face. "So... what? You just trying to forget about all of your mistakes now then?"

"No," Dave said quickly. "I'm not trying to forget about them. I'm trying to move on from them."

"Right," Azimio laughed again. He turned around from Dave, taking a few steps away before Dave called out to him.

"Hey, if you have something else to say to me, just go ahead and say it so that we can be done with this." He had raised his voice, and it was enough for more people in the hallway to glance their way.

Azimio had turned back around to look at Dave. He slid both of his hands into the pockets of his letterman jacket. It was strange to Dave, to be honest. Azimio was usually quick with words, but this time... it seemed as if he wasn't actually sure of what to say.

"What?" Dave asked, still in irritation, as he took a few steps towards him. "You have nothing else?"

"Man... what else is there even to say?" Azimio looked down towards the floor, shaking his head once again before glancing back up. "I mean... maybe you haven't actually noticed since you've been _so busy_ with all of these new clubs lately," he said mockingly. "But I've pretty much been trying to avoid you for awhile now."

One of Dave's eyebrows shot up in response. "Yeah... except for when you guys decided to ruin my jacket, right? Just had to do one thing to me before you could stop?"

Neither said anything for a few moments. They were both just staring at each other, looking even more pissed off than they were moments before.

Dave looked over towards the lockers, scoffing in amusement. "You know... this is funny coming from you. I mean, you did tell me to watch my back awhile ago," he shrugged. "And then you just changed your mind like _that_?" he asked, shaking his head.

"Things change, right?" Azimio nodded briefly. "Like you said to me... you're not even worth it." He took his hands out of his pockets, glancing up towards the ceiling as he thought over what he wanted to say. "You really don't get it, do you? What- you think I just came over here to start something with you for the fun of it?" he asked, also shaking his head.

"Whatever, man," Azimio continued. He turned back around from Dave and started to walk down the hallway away from him. After taking a few steps, he turned back towards Dave after thinking about something else that he had wanted to say to him. "Oh, and just to let you know... I didn't do anything to your jacket," he said, shrugging lightly. "See you around."

Azimio turned the corner, leaving Dave standing in the middle of the hallway around other students who had quickly begun to get back to their own business. Dave took another deep breath, turning slightly so that he could lean back against the lockers. He glanced down at the floor, shaking his head again. He hated that things had ended up this way.

* * *

><p>Kurt was sitting by himself at one of the cafeteria tables, eating his lunch, while skimming through a magazine. He was so engaged in one of the stories that he didn't notice someone walk up and stand in front of one of the chairs opposite to where he was sitting.<p>

"Do you mind if I sit down?"

Kurt looked up to see Dave standing near the table with his own tray of food. He had the same goofy grin on his face that Kurt had started to love to see, though he wouldn't let himself admit that out loud.

"Hey," Kurt smiled. "I was wondering where you've been."

Dave nodded briefly. "Yeah, I was looking around for you earlier," he said, as he glanced around McKinley's cafeteria.

Kurt took a quick sip of his water, setting it back down onto the table. "Well, now you've found me," he laughed lightly.

Dave laughed too, as he set his tray down onto the table and pulled a chair out in order to sit down. "How are you doing?"

Both of Kurt's eyebrows shot up in response. He took a deep breath, rolling his eyes just a bit. "I'm good, yeah... though, I now have a _huge_ headache after my math class."

Dave's smile grew, though his mouth stayed open slightly. "Well, I'm gonna guess that you don't know what you're doing in there then."

"Ah, good guess," Kurt nodded. "Yeah, I was pretty much just staring at the board with a blank expression on my face... it was a good time," he shrugged.

"Math isn't so bad," Dave chuckled.

Kurt turned his head towards one of the lines of students waiting to get food for a moment, scoffing in amusement. "Well, that's easy for _you_ to say, Mr. Math-Wiz."

It was Dave's turn to shrug, though he just continued to laugh. "It isn't! Trust me," he nodded. "I'll tell you what- if you're really having that much of a problem with it... then I'll help you."

"Well, thank you very much for the offer," Kurt smiled.

"No problem," Dave smiled back.

Kurt skimmed through a few more pages in his magazine, though the smile never seemed to leave his face. He looked back up towards Dave, who had just taken a huge bite out of the greasy cheeseburger he had gotten for lunch. Kurt gave Dave's food a look of disgust, which only caused Dave to laugh again and shake his head.

"So, tell me," Kurt finally said. "What's new with you?"

Dave set his cheeseburger down, wiping his mouth with a napkin. His eyes got wide for a second and he just shrugged once again. "Nothing, really... I'm kind of boring, if you haven't noticed yet."

"I think we're all a little boring at times, so it's fine," Kurt shrugged back.

"Oh, good," Dave laughed. "Maybe I'm not such a loser after-all then," he joked.

Kurt crossed his arms in front of his stomach jokingly in response. "I didn't say that," he said as seriously as he could.

Dave let out a loud laugh. "Harsh!"

He crumpled up the napkin he had been using and through it towards Kurt. It hit him in the shoulder and fell to the ground quickly. Kurt raised both of his hands up near his shoulders, staring down at the napkin for a moment, before picking it up and throwing it back onto the table.

"Do you see how much grease is on that?" Kurt asked, motioning towards the greasy napkin. "Do you see what I'm wearing?" He asked, looking down at his clothes for a moment before glancing back up at Dave. "Don't do that again," he laughed.

"Yeah, yeah," Dave responded. He kept smiling, taking a long pause before shaking his head. "Nice hair, by the way."

Kurt raised his left hand up and let it slide back through his hair. "Oh, you noticed," he joked. He had gotten his hair cut the evening before, as well as had it dyed lighter than it normally was. "Thank you, again."

"Sure," Dave nodded.

Kurt went back to eating his own lunch, turning another page in the magazine he had been looking at. After a few moments, he looked back up and noticed that Dave had that same goofy grin while staring at him. Kurt scoffed again in amusement, looking away momentarily. "Eat your lunch," he laughed.

Dave laughed too. "Yes, sir," he saluted mockingly.

"Dork," Kurt shook his head.

They sat in silence for a little while, eating their lunches, and occasionally glancing towards each other when the other wasn't looking. Kurt didn't know it, but Dave had been trying to tell him something ever since he sat down.

"Hey," Dave finally spoke up. "I, uh... I'm thinking about telling my parents."

Kurt was in the middle of chewing when he looked at Dave. He blinked a few times, wondering if he had heard him correctly. He began chewing again, swallowing hard, as he thought over what Dave had just told him. "When?"

Dave looked around the cafeteria to his left and his right, making sure that no one else was close enough to overhear the conversation that they were having. "Soon, I think," he shrugged.

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yeah," Dave nodded. He set the rest of his cheeseburger down, taking a deep breath. "I mean, it's getting closer to the end of the year and... I just don't think I can wait anymore."

He glanced down towards his food, as if he wasn't sure of what else to say. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately and," he glanced back up. "I just don't want to do this anymore."

There were another few moments where neither said anything. They were just staring at each other, looking over each other's faces. Kurt finally began to nod slowly. "Well, I think you should then," he smiled softly. "You've come a long way since last year, and... I think you're ready to tell them, too."

Dave smiled back, though he didn't say anything else. He took another deep breath, glancing back down towards his food. He swallowed once, giving the food a look of disgust before pushing it away from him. "Wow... I start thinking about doing it and... now I'm not so hungry anymore," he laughed lightly, though he knew he sounded nervous.

Kurt kept nodding, though a sympathetic expression had come to his face. "It's gonna be hard on you, I know," he paused. "But I know that you can do it," he smiled again.

"Thank you," Dave replied, after another few moments of silence.

"For what?"

Dave sighed. "Just... everything," he shrugged. "I mean, maybe this sounds stupid, but... I really feel like I wouldn't be where I'm at now if it wasn't for you."

Kurt glanced over Dave's face once again. He didn't want to admit it to himself, but he instantly had that feeling of butterflies in his stomach when Dave had said that. Of course, it wasn't the butterflies in the stomach-kind of feeling that made you feel sick or nervous; it was the good kind that made you feel happy and almost euphoric. Though, he had only had this feeling a few times before... and they were with Blaine.

It took a few tries, but Kurt was finally able to look away from Dave and glance down at his lunch on the table. "I don't know how much help I've really been to you, but," he looked back up, nodding slightly. "You know I'm always gonna be there for you."

"I know," Dave smiled softly. He attempted to get back to eating his food, taking a sip from the can of soda that he had bought. He cleared his throat, grabbing Kurt's attention once again. "Hey, I uh... I kind of have a favor to ask you," he said, where his voice cracked nervously.

"What's that?" Kurt asked.

Dave was staring down at the table, clearly not able to look back at Kurt when asking him whatever he was about to ask. He cleared his throat again, glancing to his left and his right nervously once more. "I was, uh... I was wondering if you could be there with me when I tell them..."

Kurt's mouth dropped ever so slightly, as his eyes grew a little wider. He honestly wasn't sure of how to reply. "Dave... I don't-"

"Just hear me out," Dave interrupted. He had finally glanced back up at Kurt. He looked around the tables near theirs again, rubbing the back of his neck, before letting out a deep sigh. "I'm scared, Kurt... I honestly didn't think I'd ever be ready to tell them anything, but... I feel like I am now," he looked back. Dave suddenly had a sad expression on his face. "I just don't know if I can do it by myself."

Kurt's face turned sympathetic once again. He wanted to reach out and put his hand on top of Dave's as a sign of comfort, but he knew that this wasn't the time or the place. "Yes you can," he replied softly. "I know you can..."

Dave just looked back at Kurt for a few moments, where the sad expression softened slightly. He took another deep breath and began to nod, yet he still didn't say anything.

"David," Kurt continued. He paused for a moment, trying to figure out how to say what he wanted. "This is something that's between you and them," he nodded back. "You can do it."

Kurt just felt that it wouldn't be right for him to be there when Dave told his parents that he was gay. There were so many reasons as to why he felt this way, but he honestly hoped that Dave didn't see him saying no as a sign of not being supportive. Telling his dad that he was gay was one of the most personal moments in his life for Kurt. He didn't want to be there in front of Dave's parents when they found out in case their reaction or response to it wasn't genuine because of his presence.

He knew that Dave had realized that he was saying no as he began to stare down towards his food once again. It looked as if Dave was hurt just a little bit, which caused a feeling inside Kurt that he didn't quite understand right then.

After a few more moments, Dave finally glanced back up.

"But I need you..."

Kurt kept his gaze on Dave, though it was only because he couldn't look away from him. He began to wonder if there was a deeper meaning behind what Dave had just said.

Dave quickly realized what he had said, as his face began to turn red. He cleared his throat again, taking a look to his left and his right once more, while beginning to rub his chin nervously. "I mean," his voice cracked. "I just... wanted to see if you could be there, too. But... it's okay," he shrugged.

"Dave," Kurt said softly. "I'm gonna be there for you. If you need to come over or if you need to call me right after you tell them... I'll be right there, I promise."

It took another moment of silence, but Dave finally looked up with a genuine, soft smile. He nodded slightly, showing that he understood where Kurt was coming from and why he thought that it wouldn't be right for him to be there with him when he told his parents.

"I'm sorry, Dave... I hope I didn't hurt your feelings or anything," Kurt finished.

"No, you didn't," Dave replied immediately. His smile grew a bit more to show Kurt that he meant what he said. "I understand what you're saying."

Kurt smiled back. "You can do it," he nodded. "_And_ I'm going to keep on saying that until you do," he laughed lightly.

Dave chuckled, as he shook his head. "I'm sorry if asking you all that was out of line."

"It wasn't," Kurt shook his head. "Don't even worry about it."

"Okay," Dave replied with his goofy grin.

Kurt laughed once more, leaning back away from the table just a little bit. "Now, eat your lunch," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," Dave laughed.


	15. Chapter 15

Dave was sitting on the bottom step of the stairs in his foyer. His knees were up near his chest, where both of his hands were grasped to his ankles. His face was expressionless as he stared down at the hard wood floor. It was funny, he thought. He could remember so many times when he was younger where he sat in the same spot and in the same position that he was in now. Whether he was being punished for doing something wrong when he was little or whether he had just wanted a place to sit and think... this was always the spot where he had sat down. Now, here he was- eighteen years old and trying to gather up enough courage to walk into the living room to come out to his father, while sitting in that exact same spot on the stairs. It was a strange feeling. Knowing that there was the possibility that his dad would know the truth in a matter of minutes made Dave feel... well, he didn't exactly know how he felt about that. Surprisingly, he didn't feel scared. If he had to choose one word to describe himself at that moment, he most likely would have said that he just felt numb.

Slowly, Dave turned his head to the left and looked up at the grandfather clock that stood against the back wall of the foyer. He watched the second-hand move clockwise for a few minutes. It was the only sound that he had been hearing for quite awhile now as he had been sitting down. _Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock_.

He brought his gaze back to the hard wood floor, taking a deep breath. It ended up coming out much more shaky than he had anticipated, which only caused his nerves to increase quickly. Shaking his head as if it would, somehow, help to get rid of them, he stood up from the stairs and began to walk towards the living room.

Once inside, he stood there for a few moments, staring at the TV that his dad was watching from the sofa. Paul couldn't see Dave right then, as the sofa was positioned in such a way that his back was towards his son.

His dad was watching ESPN, where they were talking about the NFL draft that was set to begin towards the end of the following month. Dave loved football. He pretty much loved every sport you could think of, to be honest. Just like his dad.

After standing still for what seemed like an eternity, Dave finally began to walk around to the front of the sofa near where Paul was sitting.

"Hey, Dad," he said quietly.

Paul glanced over quickly, as if Dave had actually startled him. "Oh, David! Hey! I didn't know you were home," he smiled. He patted the cushion next to him, letting Dave know that he wanted him to sit down. "How are you doing?"

Dave sat down, clearing his throat, as it had become one of his nervous habits. "I'm okay," he replied.

They sat there silently for quite a few minutes, watching the show his dad had decided to turn on. Dave may have been staring at the TV intently, but... he honestly wasn't even sure of what they were saying since he was preoccupied with so many things in his mind.

Dave noticed his palms were sweaty, where he quickly wiped them against his jeans. "Do you know when Mom's gonna be home?"

"No, I'm not sure," Paul shook his head. "She's still over at your grandma's."

"Oh," Dave responded immediately.

Paul, clearly, hadn't noticed Dave acting in any kind of peculiar way. He laughed at something one of the show's hosts had just said, turning his head to look at his son. "You looking forward to the draft next month?"

"Yeah," Dave nodded.

"Yeah," Paul scoffed. "It'll be interesting to see what happens with the Browns."

Both of Dave's eyebrows shot up and then back down. "Who cares about the Browns?" he asked nonchalantly.

Paul glanced back at Dave, as his mouth had dropped open slightly. "Hey, don't you start talking bad about my team," he joked.

Dave let out a forced laugh, "Sorry."

"You wanna go to a game later this year?"

Dave looked over to his father, with a semi-disgusted look on his face. "To see the Browns? No," he shook his head, smirking.

Paul laughed lightly. "Well, we don't have to go see the Browns. We can drive down to Cincinnati and see a Bengals game."

A surprised expression came to Dave's face. "But you hate the Bengals."

"Yeah, but it's fine," Paul shrugged. "I'm thinking you deserve it anyways."

Dave knew what his dad had meant by that. He was no longer getting into or causing any trouble in school. He had raised his grades up quite a bit from where they were at a year ago. Paul had told Dave on more than one occasion, recently, that he was proud of the changes that he had been making.

"Thanks, Dad," Dave said, glancing towards the floor. "But uh... I don't know," he shrugged. "I might be kind of busy later this year, so... we'll see."

Paul's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion for a moment. "Busy?" His look of confusion then changed to a small smile. "Did you get accepted somewhere?"

Dave shot a fast look to his dad and then back to the TV. "Um, I don't know, I mean," he mumbled quickly. "It... doesn't really matter. I'm not even sure if I'm gonna go to college or not yet."

"David... we've already talked about this," Paul shook his head. "You need to go to college and get a degree."

Dave swallowed, though he didn't turn his gaze away from the TV or say anything back.

"Where all have you applied to anyways?" his father continued. "You haven't been telling your mom or me anything about that for awhile now."

For the past few seconds, Dave had been blocking everything out as he, once again, thought over what he wanted to say to his dad. This had been something that he'd been doing and planning for so long now, and he didn't want to forget or mess up anything.

Again, Paul's eyebrows wrinkled, as he didn't know why his son had yet to respond. "Dave?"

"Huh?" Dave was brought back to reality. "Oh, nothing... sorry. I was just, um, thinking about something."

Paul glanced over Dave's face a few times, shrugging lightly, as he was beginning to notice how strange his son was acting. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," Dave replied, though his voice came out higher than usual because of his nerves. "I'm fine."

"Okay..." Paul nodded slowly, before turning his head back towards the TV.

They both sat on the sofa next to each other in silence, while watching more of ESPN, for another few moments. Dave had started rubbing his hands together, attempting to stop his palms from getting any sweatier than they already were. After making himself believe that he definitely would not be coming out to his father at that moment, Dave stood up and began to walk back out of the room.

Once he reached the doorway, Dave turned slightly to take a look at the back of his dad's head. He closed his eyes for a moment, going over all of the reasons why he had felt like he was finally ready to tell his dad the truth. Dave opened his eyes back up, letting out another shaky, deep breath, similar to the one before in the foyer. He remembered the words that Kurt had been saying to him for a few weeks now...

_You can do it, David. I know you can_.

Dave finally gathered up enough courage to walk back towards his father, standing close to him on his left. "Hey, Dad?"

"Yeah?" Paul looked up, smiling softly.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"Yeah," his father nodded. "Just give me a few minutes. This is almost over," as he motioned his right hand towards the TV.

Dave stood there looking down at his dad for a moment, wondering if it was actually a good idea to wait any longer to tell him or not. It had taken him long enough to walk into the living room the first time, as well as to actually tell his father that he needed to say something. "I can't," Dave whispered.

Paul looked up at his son, with one of his eyebrows raised and a small smile on his face. "What?"

"I can't wait anymore."

The smile that was on Paul's face diminished, as a look of concern showed up over the way Dave had replied. "Alright," Paul stated, turning off the TV. "Sit down. Tell me what's going on."

Dave shook his head briefly. "I don't wanna sit down," he said quietly. He brought his left hand up, rubbing the back of his neck as he looked around the room. Dave wanted to be able to look at his father in the face, though he just couldn't bring himself to glance back down. "Dad, I uh..." he let out another deep breath. "I have a lot that I want to say to you and um," he finally lowered his head to see Paul. "I'd like it if you could just listen to everything from me before you say anything."

"Okay," his dad responded softly. The expression on his face seemed even more concerned than moments before. "Go ahead," he nodded slowly.

"Dad, I um..." Dave could already feel himself breaking down. This definitely wasn't how he had planned things out, but there wasn't much that he could actually do about all that now since he had already started. "I have something that I need to tell you and... I just..." His eyes began to get misty, and he tried to blink them away a few times. "I just really hope that you won't be disappointed in me."

Paul turned his head slightly while staring up at his son, where his mouth had opened just a bit in confusion, as he was unsure as to why David was so upset. To be honest, Paul couldn't remember the last time he had seen his son tear up like this. "David... you know you can tell me or your mom anything."

Dave felt a single tear finally drop from one of his eyes as it slid down his cheek. He wanted to brush it away with one of his knuckles, but his arms just felt so weak all of a sudden. His legs had begun to feel weak too, where he had to actually sit down on the sofa after he had already said that he didn't want to. "I couldn't tell you this..." Dave said, shaking his head as he stared at the carpet. "I didn't wanna tell you this..."

"Dave... just tell me."

Even though he was telling himself to calm down so that he could remember everything that he had wanted to say, Dave was still having a hard time in accomplishing that. After a few brief moments, he finally wiped away the single tear that had fallen onto his cheek. He sniffed a few times, trying to compose himself enough to be able to look back at his dad and begin talking without falling apart.

Dave looked down at his hands, taking another deep breath that was even shakier than the past few. He cleared his throat, hoping that his voice wouldn't be cracking too much when saying everything he was about to tell his dad. Slowly, he finally glanced over from where he was sitting to look his father in the eyes.

"Dad... do you remember when I was younger? You..." he looked back down at the carpet momentarily. "You used to tell me all the time that I shouldn't be afraid of anything... You'd sit me down and you'd tell me that I needed to learn to toughen up."

Paul just continued to stare at his son intently.

"You'd say that I was a Karofsky... which meant that I'd be able to handle anything that life threw at me easily. But..." Dave paused, feeling more tears come to his eyes once again. "But that wasn't true," he finally continued, shaking his head as the new tears started falling from his eyes. "That was never true... I wasn't able to deal with... a bunch of things," Dave huffed.

"And I took it out on a lot of people... a lot of people that actually care about me now. I hurt them because," he glanced back down at his hands, knowing his voice was going to be straining so much when he would start talking again. "Because I pretty much hated myself."

Dave looked back up at Paul, noticing how sad his dad looked.

"I thought... why should they get to be happy when I'm so miserable?" Dave shook his head again, wiping more tears away from one of his cheeks quickly. "I didn't think it was fair... nothing was fair. And there were so many times where I'd go to sleep at night... and I'd honestly wish that I wouldn't even wake up in the morning so that I wouldn't have to deal with any of it anymore..."

Rubbing the tears away that had fallen onto the top of his hands, Dave heard that Paul had started breathing harder. When he was able to look back at him, he noticed how his father's eyes had now become wet with his own tears.

"I couldn't even stand to look at myself in the mirror," Dave stated as seriously as he could. "I just hated everything... It wasn't supposed to be like this... I never deserved to feel like that," he shook his head, pausing for a few moments. "And I don't want to feel like that ever again." He sniffed a few more times, realizing that he definitely wasn't going to be able to stop crying anytime soon. "I'm so sorry, Dad... I'm sorry if you're mad at me... or if you're disappointed in me... but... I'm done being scared all the time."

Paul now had his own tears falling down his own cheeks, as he understood what Dave was trying to tell him. "David..."

Dave sniffed once more, swallowing hard. "Dad... I'm gay," he nodded.

"David..." Paul whispered, shaking his head as he brought his right hand up to cover his mouth momentarily. "I had no idea that you were going through all that..." he eventually said, though his voice was so strained. "Why didn't you just tell us?"

"I couldn't," Dave shook his own head, never letting his gaze leave his father's face. "I didn't know how to... Maybe I was hoping that if I didn't talk about it," he scoffed, shrugging lightly. "That... maybe it would just go away." Dave had to take a moment, glancing down towards the carpet as he realized what else he had wanted to say. "I never wanted to tell you..."

Paul's breathing had become shaky. "Why?"

A few moments went by where Dave still hadn't looked up from the carpet. Paul reached his left hand out, attempting to set it on top of his son's. "David..."

"Don't," Dave pulled his hand away, standing up from the sofa and walking towards the TV. He stayed there with his back to Paul briefly, knowing that what he needed to say next was most likely going to hurt his dad. He closed his eyes for a moment, taking another deep breath. Eventually, he slowly turned back to where his father was still sitting down.

"You really wanna know why?" Dave asked, sounding almost angry. "Do you know how hard it was for me growing up hearing all of your little side comments all the time? I mean... yeah, fine... you were around everybody and you'd say, 'I don't have any problems with anyone that's gay.'" He stopped momentarily, shaking his head at Paul.

"But then you'd be home... and it'd be just us," he huffed again. "And we'd be watching a show or the news and something would come up about gay guys or gay marriage... and what would you do? What would you say?" Dave looked down at his dad with a tense expression. "Do you know how much you made me hate myself even more than I already did?"

Dave could feel the tears coming back and falling from his eyes, but he didn't care. "I looked up to you... completely... but then I'd hear you say all that," he shook his head once again. "You really think that helped me? You really think all that made me feel comfortable enough to sit you down and say, 'Hey, Dad, guess what. I'm gay'?"

Paul was still looking up towards his son with one of the most painful expressions on his face, though he wasn't able to say anything yet.

"Dad... I'm sorry, but... you pretty much broke me every single time that you'd say something," Dave paused. "I felt like my life was a living hell," he shrugged lightly as more tears fell. "Only I didn't have anybody to help me out of it." Dave sniffed a few more times. "I needed my dad," he whispered. "But I couldn't even tell you."

"David," Paul said softly, raising his left hand up to cover his mouth for another moment as his own tears still fell. "David... I am _so_ sorry that I made you feel that way... I never wanted that for you," he shook his head. "If I would've just... known... or-"

"Please don't," Dave interrupted. "I didn't tell you because I wanted to hear that from you."

Paul looked down towards the carpet, nodding briefly. "I'm so sorry, David... I... I don't even know what to say..."

Dave let out another deep breath, wiping at both sides of his face as he sniffed a few more times. "Dad... I don't want you to feel like it was just you. It wasn't just you... I didn't tell you that to try to hurt you or to make you blame yourself for what I was going through," Dave licked his upper lip, swallowing hard.

"It was so many things," he continued. "So many people... I was scared," Dave nodded. "And I still am. But... I'm done pretending to be something I'm not."

Once again, Paul nodded, though he was staring right back at Dave.

"I wanna be happy," Dave said softly. "I wanna fall in love... and nobody's ever gonna tell me that I can't."

Paul wiped a few tears away from his own cheeks, standing up slowly from the sofa, though not moving any closer to Dave. "David... I love you so much."

"I know," Dave nodded. "I love you too, Dad." He glanced down at the carpet once more, looking over to his left and his right nervously. "Look, I uh," he shrugged, raising his head to see his father. "I think I'm gonna head out for a little while, but, um... I'll be back later."

Paul's mouth opened slightly. "Dave, your mom's gonna be home soon... I think we all need to sit down and talk about this some more."

"Later, okay?" Dave replied quietly. "I just... I just need to get away for a little bit, okay?"

His dad took a step towards him. "David-"

"Dad," he interrupted, moving away from Paul and taking a few steps until he was in the foyer near the front door. "I'm going now," he said, as his father had followed him. Dave paused for another moment, wiping at the corner of one of his eyes. "Can you... please just tell Mom for me?" he shook his head. "I can't do this again."

Dave opened the front door, not even caring that he was about to step out into the cold March weather without grabbing his jacket.

"Dave, please don't go," Paul said.

"I'm sorry... I'll be back," Dave nodded.

"David-"

Paul was cutoff by the sound of the front door closing.


	16. Chapter 16

There was a knock at the front door.

Kurt walked over and opened said door to find Dave standing there without a jacket, shivering and eyes looking so tired and red, as if he had been crying. Kurt's mouth opened slightly in surprise, as his eyebrows wrinkled in both confusion and concern. "Dave..." he said softly.

Dave swallowed hard, glancing down towards the porch momentarily before looking back up. "Hi," he strained out.

Kurt opened the door a little wider and took one step out, still with the concerned look on his face. He watched silently for a few moments as Dave began to crumble right in front of him.

Dave didn't want to cry anymore... especially in front of Kurt. But now that he was there, standing right in front of him, it was as if there was no way for him to hold back any longer.

"Dave..." Kurt said again, taking a few steps towards him and wrapping his arms around his neck to pull him in for a hug. Kurt wasn't sure of what had happened, but he instantly felt that comforting Dave with his arms around him like this was exactly where he needed to be at that moment.

A few tears fell from Dave's eyes as he hugged Kurt back around his waist, instantly feeling like he never wanted to let go.

"Dave, it's okay," Kurt said softly, as he rubbed Dave's back with one hand, moving it up to the back of his neck, where he let his fingers slide through a little bit of his hair. "It's okay," he said again.

Dave sniffed a few times, pulling back from Kurt's hug slightly. He looked behind Kurt into the house, noticing that Blaine was standing a few feet away from them with a hurt expression on his face.

Dave pulled back from Kurt's hug all the way, sniffing once more and wiping at one of his cheeks with his knuckle. He walked backwards a few steps from Kurt. "I'm sorry," he said quietly. He swallowed again, glancing back down towards the porch. "I..."

"David, it's fine," Kurt stated, shaking his head. "Honestly... come in here," he took a few steps back into the house, motioning for Dave to follow him.

After pausing for a few seconds, Dave took a couple of steps into the house near Kurt who closed the front door behind him. He noticed Blaine's expression change instantly, from the hurt expression to, perhaps, a fake, small smile. Kurt clearly hadn't noticed any of this, as his back had been turned towards Blaine the entire time.

"Hey, Dave," Blaine said quietly, still smiling softly.

Dave sniffed once more, "Hey." He cleared his throat, looking back at Kurt. "I didn't, uh... know where else to go and..."

"It's okay," Kurt replied, nodding. "I told you that you could come here and I meant that." He turned slightly to look at Blaine, pointing with his right index finger towards the living room. "Blaine, can you grab that blanket that's on the couch for me?"

"Yeah," Blaine responded, nodding as well. "Yeah, no problem." He walked back into the other room away from the front door.

Kurt looked back at Dave, grabbing one of his forearms with his left hand. "Come on," he said, as he pulled on Dave's arm gently. Dave followed Kurt towards Burt's old recliner that sat in the corner. "Sit down," Kurt said quietly. He turned back to Blaine, grabbing the blanket that he was holding out to him. "Thank you," he said, taking it and opening it up to put it around Dave's shoulders, who was still shivering. "Dave, here... you're freezing."

"No, I'm fine," Dave shrugged slightly.

"No, you're not..." Kurt replied back.

Blaine sat down on the couch that was across from where Dave was sitting. Kurt sat on the edge of the coffee table in front of Dave, in between both his friend and his boyfriend. "What happened?"

Dave leaned forward, setting both of his elbows onto his knees for support as he looked down towards his shoes. "I told him," he strained out.

"You told your dad..." Kurt let out quietly, as he began to hope that Dave hadn't showed up so upset because it hadn't gone very well. "What did he say?"

Dave's eyebrows shot up quickly, though he wasn't able to raise his head to be able to look back at Kurt. "Um... he... he said that he didn't understand why I didn't just tell him a long time ago... so, uh," he swallowed hard. "So then I told him why."

Kurt looked at Blaine, who continued to watch them both from the couch silently with a blank expression on his face.

Kurt turned back to Dave. "What did you say to him?"

"Everything," Dave replied softly. "I just... told him everything. I said... you know, for so long now, I just wanted to be able to go to him and tell him... I just wanted to ask him for help... for everything to be okay, but," he finally looked up at Kurt. "I told him that I just couldn't. And that I didn't know how to... not after all that with him."

Kurt's expression had immediately turned sympathetic, though he was so unsure of what to say.

"It's funny, though," Dave continued. "Looking back over pretty much everything that's happened..." He paused for a few moments, thinking over what he had wanted to say, as his head dropped back down. "If I would've just... said something sooner or-"

"David," Kurt interrupted him. "Don't you even start blaming yourself now," Kurt said sternly, shaking his head briefly. "Just because you weren't able to go to him any sooner does not mean anything... It wasn't your fault."

Dave brought his right hand up to rub his forehead, where he closed his eyes for a few moments. He took a deep breath, opening them back up to look at Kurt. "Yeah... I know, you're right." Dave attempted to smile, but it just came off as sad more than anything. "I mean... I said everything that I needed to say to him at least, I guess... so..."

Kurt nodded. "Well... what did he say when you told him how you felt?"

Dave huffed in disbelief, raising his left eyebrow. "He said he was sorry... for everything." He looked back to Kurt, flashing a soft smile. "I definitely wasn't expecting that."

"That's good, though," Kurt responded quietly. "It was good that you told him. Now that he knows all of that... maybe he'll understand what he was doing to you," he nodded once more. "It can help him to change."

"I hope so." Dave nodded back, taking another deep breath. "I don't know," he shook his head. "He, uh... he didn't even want me to leave, but... I just couldn't stay." Dave shrugged. "I had to get out of there..." he stated, staring back at Kurt intently.

"I just needed to see y..." he trailed off, once he remembered that Blaine was sitting only a few feet away. Dave brought his hand up to his mouth, faking a cough, as he felt his face turning red.

Kurt paused for a few moments, knowing exactly what Dave had almost said. He cleared his throat, taking another glance back towards Blaine, who was still just sitting quietly watching them, before looking back at Dave. "Well... it doesn't really sound like he was disappointed in you at all, you know," he smiled.

Dave nodded again, though only for a second. "Yeah, I know... but uh, I think I had every right to worry though, don't you think?" he smirked.

"Of course you did, yeah. And um... just to inform you... I will not be saying 'I told you so' any time soon," Kurt smirked back, raising one of his eyebrows. "Or at all."

Dave huffed once more, as his smirk grew a bit. "Good."

All three sat in silence until Kurt finally spoke up once again. "Where was your mom?"

"She, uh..." Dave's smirk diminished as he stared back down at his shoes. "She wasn't home yet. I was gonna wait, but... I just couldn't." He looked back, though he brought his attention to Blaine before settling back on Kurt.

"It took me long enough to even walk into the same room as him... and... even after sitting there next to him for a few minutes, I honestly thought that I wasn't gonna be able to do it," Dave nodded briefly. "But... then I kept hearing your voice telling me what you've been saying lately, and... I did it."

Dave cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck before continuing. "I... I just told him to tell her for me," he stated, shaking his head once more. "I wasn't gonna be able to do that again with her... I couldn't." He leaned forward against his knees again, taking a shaky breath as he glanced over towards the front door on the left.

"Hey..." Kurt said softly, touching one of Dave's wrists for a moment so that he'd look back over. "You should be proud of yourself right now," he nodded. "What you did today... coming out to your dad? That's something that so many people think is one of the hardest things that they've ever had to do... but you did it."

Dave finally flashed a real smile, though it only remained on his face for a very brief period of time. "I _am_ proud of myself," he nodded, as his eyebrows shot up once more. "I still feel like crap right now, but," he smiled again. "I'm proud of myself."

"Yeah, well... I think you're allowed to feel like crap for a little while, at least," Kurt laughed lightly.

Dave was still smiling, though he once again remembered that Blaine was still in the room, whom he glanced over to nervously. "Oh," he cleared his throat. "I'm sorry for interrupting you guys. I know you don't really get to see each other that much because of school."

Blaine scooted forward on the couch a little bit, shaking his head. "Oh, hey... it's... it's fine. I, uh... I remember how I felt when I came out to my dad," he stated, as he began nodding briefly. "It's hard. But, um... it usually starts to get a little easier once you do."

"Yeah," Dave nodded back. "I hope so, at least." He took another deep breath, sitting straighter against the back of the recliner. "Wow," he said quietly, shaking his head in disbelief. "I told him... I told him so much that I never even thought I'd ever be able to say to him." Dave glanced at Kurt, letting out a small laugh. "I just kind of hope that I wasn't dreaming, you know?"

Kurt was smiling, and Blaine was the first to speak up. "You did really good, Dave," he nodded once more. "I know we, uh... have had our differences in the past, and um... I kind of realized lately that I'm probably not the greatest person to give advice to anybody, but... if you ever do need anything..."

"Thanks, man," Dave nodded. "I appreciate it."

"Yeah... yeah, no problem," Blaine responded.

All of a sudden, Burt came down the stairs and walked into the living room with a rolled up newspaper, stopping immediately when he saw Dave sitting down in his recliner with a blanket around his shoulders. He looked at Dave, glancing over to Blaine and then Kurt, only to bring his gaze back to Dave again. His eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Hey, Dave," he said, sounding unsure as to what was going on in his living room.

"Hey, Mr. Hummel," Dave attempted to smile.

"Is... everything alright?"

Kurt maneuvered himself on the coffee table, turning to face his father. "Yeah, Dad. We're fine," he nodded.

Burt still looked confused, yet also concerned. "You sure?"

"Dad-"

"Kurt," Dave interrupted. "It's okay... I, uh... I just came out to my dad."

Burt glanced over Dave, where he slowly began to nod. "Did it go alright?"

Dave shrugged, pausing for a few moments before replying. "I guess so."

It seemed as if Burt didn't exactly believe Dave, as he took a few steps towards him and crossed his arms over his stomach while still holding onto the rolled up newspaper. "Did you... need a place to stay or anything?"

"Oh," Dave said immediately. "No, sir. It's nothing like that. I just... really needed to get out of the house for a little while, to be honest."

Burt nodded again. "Okay. Well... if you do..."

"Thank you, sir."

"You can, uh," Burt turned to take another look at both Blaine and Kurt before glancing back. "You can stay for dinner if you want."

Kurt turned back to Dave, smiling softly once more. "Can you stay for awhile?"

Dave looked over to Blaine, who still had a blank expression on his face while looking down at the carpet. Dave turned his attention back to Kurt. "I don't know... I mean, my mom's probably home by now, so... I'm guessing she already knows and-"

Kurt touched Dave's left forearm with his right hand. "Please stay..."

It was at that moment that Dave realized that there really was no way that he'd ever be able to say no to Kurt Hummel about practically anything... yet, that didn't seem to bother him one bit. He actually felt as if he had known that for so long now. Dave immediately forgot about Burt and Blaine in the room, glancing over Kurt's face for a few moments before replying. "Okay," he said softly.

Burt watched what had just happened between his son and Dave, looking over to Blaine who, once again, seemed to be trying to hide the fact that this whole situation was bothering him. Burt cleared his throat, which caused both Dave and Kurt to look back his way. "Good," he nodded.

The front door opened, where Finn walked in quickly. He glanced into the living room for a moment as he walked by. "Hey."

He took a few more steps towards the kitchen, only to stop all of a sudden and walk a few steps backwards. He looked into the living room again, where his mouth was opened slightly and one of his eyebrows was up. He looked at Dave, and then back around to Burt, Blaine, and Kurt, before settling his gaze back to the jock. "Um... hey, Dave."

"Hey." Dave cleared his throat once more, pulling the blanket that was around his shoulders off of him and throwing it back onto the top of the recliner.

Finn looked around the room again, seeming as if he was just confused as ever. "Um. What's going on?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Nothing," Kurt said immediately, standing up from the coffee table. "We, uh... we were just talking."

"Oh," Finn stated, though his eyebrows remained wrinkled in confusion. "Is everything okay?"

"Yep," Kurt nodded quickly. "Everything's great," he said, wide-eyed.

Burt knew that Finn didn't know about Dave, and he definitely wasn't going to leave neither him nor Kurt alone with Finn to get him away from the living room. "Hey... Finn, why don't you go in the kitchen and uh, help your mom out with dinner?"

Finn looked at Burt for a few moments before he began to nod. "Um... okay." He took a few steps back towards the kitchen, though he stopped once again and turned back around. "Did I just... walk into something or?"

"No," Kurt replied irritated. "Why?"

Burt jumped in again. "Dave was just," he looked back at the three teenagers in the living room, "having a problem at home. He's gonna stay for dinner, but uh... yeah, everything's fine."

"Oh..." Finn nodded once more, glancing at Dave. "Sorry, man. I didn't know."

Dave just remained in the recliner, where he started to shake his head in irritation.

"Well, thank you, Finn," Kurt, once again, sounded agitated. "But we're kind of in the middle of something, so..." he motioned for Finn to go away.

"Kurt," Dave finally said, causing Kurt to look down to where he was sitting. Dave took a deep breath, rolling his eyes. "I don't care..."

Kurt wasn't exactly sure of what Dave had meant by that. Of course, neither was Finn.

"I'm confused," Finn said immediately.

Kurt scoffed, crossing his arms over his stomach. "How odd," he said bluntly.

Finn just looked over Kurt's face for a moment, still with the confused expression- though, this look wasn't so new for the tall teen to have. "Okay..." he said, turning his body slightly to begin to head back towards the kitchen. "Well... I'm just gonna-"

"I'm gay, Hudson."

Finn, once again, stopped and stood still. He just continued to stare at Dave as if he might have misheard what he had said. His eyebrows were furrowed together even more so than they were moments earlier. He opened his mouth to say something, only to close it again.

Kurt stood there, still with his arms crossed over his stomach, though he looked down towards the carpet wide-eyed, as he truly was surprised that Dave had just come out and told Finn as if it was nothing.

"Um," Finn finally said. He looked around the room once more. "Um, you're..." he shook his head. "You're... wait, what?" he asked dramatically.

"Oh my God," Kurt rolled his eyes. He quickly glanced over to Burt. "Dad... could you," he motioned towards Finn, "possibly-"

"Yeah," Burt nodded, walking over towards Finn. "No problem. Come on, Finn," he stated, grabbing ahold of one of his stepson's shoulders and pushing him towards the kitchen.

Finn took a few steps with Burt, though he continued to stare at Dave. "Wait, what?" he, once again, asked dramatically.

"Come on, buddy," Burt said, as he kept on pushing Finn until they were both out of sight.

Kurt took a few steps away from Dave, turning back around so that he faced both Blaine and Dave. He took a deep breath, still shocked over what had just occurred. "Well... this is going to be an interesting dinner." He clasped his hands together in front of him.

Blaine, also wide-eyed in surprise, just sat still in the same spot on the couch.

"So... what was that about?" Kurt huffed in amusement, waiting for Dave to answer.

Dave just shrugged, though it was almost as if he couldn't actually believe that he had told Finn either. "I don't know... I was just... I was just thinking that having to tell my dad was a whole lot worse than Finn knowing, so... what the hell, right?" he smirked.

Kurt blinked a few times, thinking over what Dave had said. It made sense, in a way. "Fair point," he nodded.

"Yeah," Dave shrugged again. "I thought so." This really _was_ going to be an interesting dinner.


	17. Chapter 17

Kurt was sitting down at one of the tables in the classroom that they had been using to have PFLAG meetings in all year. Though he hadn't seen Dave all day for some reason, they were both meant to meet in the room twenty minutes before the meeting was set to start in order to plan a few things out. This had become a routine thing for them to do, ever since they had started having the meetings at McKinley.

With his left elbow resting on the table, as well as his left hand placed against his forehead to support his head up, Kurt was reading over a few printouts of information that he had found the previous night. He, along with Dave and Ms. Pillsbury, had started a habit of picking out some issue to discuss before each meeting.

Since Kurt was so engaged with his reading material, he didn't notice Dave walk into the classroom and stop right in front of him at the table.

"Hey."

Kurt immediately looked up from the papers he had been glancing over to see Dave standing before him in an outfit that almost made him skip a breath. He stopped and stared for a few moments, even though he was yelling at himself in his head to look away.

Though he tried ignoring these kinds of thoughts in the past, Kurt had been noticing the way Dave looked a lot more recently. He was attractive; there was no doubt about that. And while Dave had worn short-sleeve shirts before, Kurt now felt himself becoming attached to staring at his arms. The sleeves of his opened, button-up shirt were tight around his biceps, where Dave's undershirt showed off more of his chest than Kurt had ever seen before. He wasn't the biggest fan of the backwards baseball hat that Dave was wearing, though everything else seemed to cancel that one negative out.

Wide-eyed, Kurt continued to sit there silently as he looked up and down over Dave quickly. He instantly felt himself becoming red, as he realized that it was probably quite obvious that he was checking Dave out. His mouth had dropped slightly, where he wanted so badly to just say something. _Anything_. Yet, no words seemed to be able to come out.

Dave slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans awkwardly, cocking his left eyebrow up in confusion as he noticed Kurt's expression. "What?"

Kurt finally stopped and focused on Dave's face, trying to figure out something that he could possibly say that wouldn't make it obvious that he had just practically been drooling over seeing him. "What are you wearing?" he finally managed to get out.

"Um..." Dave glanced down towards himself nervously, moving his head to the left and the right briefly before looking back. "Clothes?" Both of his eyebrows then shot up. "Why?"

"Nothing," Kurt murmured quickly, looking back down towards the papers on the table, as he cleared his throat.

Dave rubbed his chin with his right hand for a moment, taking another look down towards his clothes. It's not like he was purposefully trying to look good for Kurt... _or for anyone_, he should say... why would he be doing that? Maybe Kurt actually hated what he was wearing, he thought. "What? You don't approve?"

Kurt brought his left hand up to rub his forehead, though he was afraid that if he even attempted to look back towards Dave's face, he'd end up stopping and staring at his arms again. "Uh... no, I mean," he replied nervously. "You can... wear whatever you want, so..."

Dave instantly noticed that Kurt was flustered and turning a shade of red slightly, realizing that maybe he didn't look so bad after all. Even though it was mean, he decided to joke around with Kurt a little bit. "I do look pretty good, don't I?" he asked with a smug expression on his face.

"Um," Kurt glanced up, though didn't move his head at all to actually look back at Dave's face. "Sure," he cleared his throat once more.

"Kurt, why are you getting all red?" Dave asked dramatically.

Kurt still didn't look up, though he began to laugh lightly from where he was sitting. "Stop it."

Dave brought his hands up, grabbing onto both sides of his opened shirt. "It's all good," he replied with a smug again. "You can say it."

Kurt finally glanced up at Dave, scoffing in irritation, though a small smile was forming on his mouth. "Well, I think I'm actually going to ignore you now," he stated, lowering his head back down instantly.

"Okay, I see how it is. I mean, since you're the expert and everything..." Dave paused to take another look down at his clothes. "Maybe I do look bad, huh?"

Kurt raised his head back up, lifting one of his eyebrows as he crossed his arms over his stomach.

"I guess I could just take this off," Dave teased, letting his button up slide off of his shoulders slightly.

Kurt got wide-eyed once again. "Oh my god, you are so irritating right now," he laughed, putting his left elbow back onto the table and settling his hand back onto his forehead to cover his eyes.

Dave chuckled, pulling the chair out that was across from Kurt at the table and sitting down. "Yeah, yeah."

With his hand dropping and a quick roll of his eyes, Kurt crossed his arms once more. "A word of advice, though..."

"What's that?" Dave smirked.

"Lose the hat," Kurt shook his head. "You'd look better without it," he laughed again.

Dave scoffed at him jokingly, raising one of his hands up to pull his hat off and setting it onto the top of the table. "You just can't appreciate me the way I am, can you?"

It was Kurt's turn to look smug. "I'm just trying to help you out." He couldn't hold his expression as he began laughing again. "And nice hat hair, by the way," he pointed towards the top of Dave's head with his right index finger.

Dave quickly brought one of his hands up to push his hair down. "Yeah, I thought so," he replied sarcastically.

"_Anyways_," Kurt smiled. "We have work to do, so do you think that you'll actually be able to sit still for about twenty minutes before everyone else gets here?"

"I will definitely try my best," Dave said dramatically, his usual goofy grin returning like always.

Kurt nodded briefly, "Wonderful." He glanced back down at the papers on the top of the table, grabbing one of them and sliding it over to where Dave was sitting in front of him. "This is what we're going to be talking about today."

"Thanks," Dave replied quickly, as he began to glance over the printout. They both sat in silence for a few moments until he finally looked back up. "Hey," he said softly.

"Hmm?" Kurt let out, raising his head just a bit to see Dave.

Dave smiled sincerely. "Thank you... for the other day."

"You're welcome," Kurt smiled back. He then let out a light laugh, shaking his head for a moment. "Someone's in a good mood today. Is, um... is everything alright?"

"Yeah," Dave nodded. "Surprisingly," he continued as his eyebrows shot up for a moment. "There's, uh... been a lot of talking going on, which is actually starting to get annoying, to be honest," he laughed. "But... yeah. I think everything's gonna be okay."

Kurt's smile grew. "Well, I take it that your mom was okay then?"

Dave nodded again. "Yeah... she kept crying and hugging me though," he rolled his eyes, though he still had a small smile on his face. "It got to the point where I had to be like, 'hey Mom, calm down,'" he laughed once more.

Kurt smirked. "Well, clearly, she loves you... what were you expecting from her?"

"I don't know," Dave shrugged. "A lot worse, I guess... but you knew that already," he said with his goofy grin.

Kurt was still smiling at Dave as he began to shake his head.

"It's fine," Dave continued, rolling his eyes again. "You can say 'I told you so' if you want to," he said dramatically.

Kurt laughed again, where he then had an expression on his face as if he was trying to decide on whether to say it or not. "I'll think about it," he nodded.

"Thanks," Dave laughed, looking back down towards the printout Kurt had given him.

Kurt cleared his throat, glancing down at his own papers before looking back up. "So... are you and your dad okay then?"

"Yeah, I think so," Dave nodded, taking a few moments to think about what had happened over the past few days. "It's been... kind of awkward, but uh," he shrugged. "I think it'll be alright."

Kurt smiled softly. "Well, I'm glad to hear it."

Dave took a deep breath, shaking his head in amusement. "He's been making a bunch of plans for us to go camping this summer, so... there's nothing like some good old fashioned father-son bonding."

"Ah, how thrilling," Kurt replied sarcastically.

"You wanna go?" Dave asked mockingly.

Kurt shot him a look of disbelief. "Uh, as exciting as that sounds... no, thank you," he laughed. "Can you even imagine me going camping?"

"Not really, no," Dave chuckled. "But come on, look at your dad," he shook his head. "You're telling me that you've never gone camping at least once?" he asked, with one of his eyebrows raised.

"Never," Kurt replied back seriously. "I mean, _he_ goes... and he'll attempt to talk me into going with him and Finn, but... yeah," he huffed lightly. "That's not really my kind of thing, surprisingly."

"_Huge_ surprise," Dave stated dramatically. "I mean... just look at you," he motioned towards Kurt with his right hand. "You look so rugged and outdoorsy," he joked.

"Yep," Kurt nodded. "I'm your typical mountain man. I was even thinking about becoming a lumberjack at one time in my life, but..." he shrugged. "I just can't pull off a beard."

Dave shook his head dramatically. "Damn, that sucks."

"Doesn't it?" Kurt replied immediately. "I just don't know what I'm going to do with myself. I... I guess I'll just have to go off to college in a little place called New York and try to get by..." he said, as he brought his right hand up to his chest. "Somehow."

Dave faked a pout. "I feel so sorry for you."

"I know," Kurt said dramatically, as he began to act like he was crying. "I'll be okay," he sniffed.

Both Dave and Kurt started laughing at the same time, shaking their heads over where the conversation had gone.

"So _anyways_..." Dave finally said, grinning once more. "Yeah... my dad and I have been talking a lot and... I think everything will be okay," he nodded.

Kurt smiled back. "That's good. I mean... all of that was probably really hard for him to hear, but," he nodded as well. "He needed to hear it," he said quietly.

Dave's smile turned sad, as he took a glance back down towards the top of the table for a moment. "Yeah... we were, uh... talking yesterday and," he rubbed the back of his neck. "I know that he's still blaming himself for a lot of what went on with me, but... you know, it's like I was telling him. Life sucks sometimes... and you go through a bunch of crap, but," he took a deep breath. "If you realize the mistakes you've made, you can just focus on moving on from them and not letting yourself do anything like that ever again."

Kurt glanced over Dave's face for a few moments, where his smile grew as he thought over what he had just heard. He laughed lightly, lowering his head momentarily to look at his hands before gazing back towards Dave. "You're starting to sound like my dad."

"Yeah, well..." Dave let out a small laugh. "I'll take that as a compliment," he smiled. "Your dad's a smart guy."

Letting out a soft hum to himself, Kurt finally began to nod briefly. "Yeah... he is," he said with a grin.

Dave crossed his arms over his stomach, as he leaned back and slouched in his chair. "Jeez," he stated before he took another deep breath, where his typical goofy grin returned. "I wish I would've done this a long time ago... I feel great," he laughed lightly.

Kurt laughed too. "That's good," he smiled. "You deserve to feel great."

"So..." Dave said, clasping his hands together, as he set both his elbows onto the table and leaned forward. "Has Finn been bugging you about me?" he asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

Kurt looked over to his right, scoffing in irritation. "Kind of, yeah," he smirked.

Dave huffed, shaking his head. "Yeah, he came up to me earlier and started asking me a bunch of questions when we were right in the hallway," he stated, wide-eyed. "I had to tell him, 'dude, get away from me,'" he laughed once more.

Kurt's mouth opened slightly in surprise, though he was still smiling. "Did he really?" He shook his head again, "I'm sorry," he laughed lightly. "Yeah... I mean, you know this already, but Finn's not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed," he shrugged. "But don't worry, though. He's not going to say anything."

"I hope he wouldn't, after hearing you tell him off at dinner..." Dave grinned. "You're scary sometimes, you know that?"

Kurt gave him another look of surprise, though he immediately rolled his eyes. "I am _not_ scary," he crossed his arms once more. "I'm simply dramatic from time to time," he said nonchalantly.

"Oh, is that what you call your typical mood?" Dave joked.

"Hey, excuse me!" Kurt laughed. "Don't even start," he stated, as he pointed at Dave.

Dave simply sat back against his chair, crossing his own arms, with a smug look on his face. "My point, exactly."

Kurt looked down towards the papers sitting in front of him on the top of the table, laughing to himself as he shook his head. He had to take a few moments before he was finally able to look back up. "It's so easy for you to get me to laugh, isn't it?" he asked dramatically.

Dave smirked instantly, glancing over Kurt's face a few times before shrugging lightly. "I love it when you laugh."

Kurt's expression softened, as he looked right back at Dave.

Something was different, he felt. There had been so many moments over the past year where Kurt had felt so strange whenever Dave was near him... Though, he could never usually explain it or figure out exactly what it was that made him feel that way. But now, it was the butterflies in the stomach feeling again. _The good kind_.

At this moment, Kurt was finally beginning to understand. He actually felt comfortable around Dave... He was able to be himself completely without worrying that Dave would judge him or tell him that it might be better if he toned himself down.

Dave accepted him for who he was... possibly more so than his own boyfriend, compared to a few situations from the past. Kurt felt like he may even have feelings for... _No_, Kurt thought. _Stop_. He shook his head.

"What?" Dave asked, a look of concern on his face when Kurt still hadn't said anything after a few moments of silence.

Kurt cleared his throat, swallowing hard. "Nothing," he shook his head, smiling softly before he stood up from his chair and walked over to the counter on his left.

Dave watched Kurt as he walked a few steps away, cocking an eyebrow at him. He glanced back towards the table, laughing lightly as he also began to shake his head. He turned his head to Kurt, who now had his back towards him. Dave stood up from his chair, taking a few steps over to where Kurt was standing at the counter.

"Ah," Dave nodded, hitting the top of the counter with his right fist, which caused Kurt to look over to him with a smirk. "I got it... I'm making you turn red again," he laughed.

Kurt laughed, glancing back to look straight towards the wall. "I am _not_ turning red again."

"Yes, you are," Dave teased. "I guess I should knock that off, huh?"

Kurt turned slightly to face Dave, letting his side lean up against the counter. He crossed his arms over his stomach, raising one of his eyebrows. "Yes, for your information," Kurt joked. "Because Blaine's going to hear about it and he's going to get mad and jealous and then he's going to come here and try to beat you up," he stated quickly, with an obviously fake, smug look on his face.

Dave snorted lightly, looking back at Kurt with his own obviously fake smug. "I can take him," he nodded.

Kurt's mouth dropped open in surprise, though he was still clearly smiling. He shook his head and was trying to think of some sort of comeback, though none came to mind. He attempted to glare at Dave, though it just came off as more amusing than anything else. "Well," Kurt said dramatically. "While I don't necessarily disagree with that... it'd probably be better if you didn't-" he stopped talking all of a sudden, mid-sentence.

Dave's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "If I didn't what?"

"Hmm," Kurt said to himself, looking over to the top of the counter momentarily. "Two boys fighting over me," he thought out loud. "It doesn't sound too horrible, actually," he grinned.

Dave let out a loud laugh. "_That_ is horrible."

"I'm just kidding," Kurt laughed back. "It doesn't even matter anyways," he shrugged, though he knew his smile had to be huge at this point. "It's not like we've fallen in love with each other or anything."

Dave's smile slowly diminished as his expression became more serious. He swallowed hard, never letting his gaze leave Kurt's face.

Kurt felt that same feeling again... the one that he had felt moments earlier when he had been sitting down at the table. He glanced over Dave's face a few times, attempting to read Dave's serious expression. He had felt something... something that wasn't there before. He couldn't tell if it was something that Dave had felt too.

Kurt felt guilty immediately. Even though he wasn't able to describe the feeling before, he definitely could now... It was a spark. Something electric between him and Dave.

He wanted to look away.

He wanted to walk out of the room.

He wanted to just say something, but... he couldn't bring himself to do any of that.

Dave's breathing became heavier. He looked into Kurt's eyes for something... something that would tell him that he was scared or that he didn't feel what Dave had felt happening between them... only, the look in Kurt's eyes seemed to say that he was feeling exactly the same way.

Dave cocked his head to one side slightly, instantly feeling himself lean forward towards Kurt. He knew that it was wrong. He knew that Kurt was still with Blaine. He knew that he had gotten so upset with himself in the past when he thought over some of the things that he had said to or done for Kurt... things that he knew were pushing the boundaries of their friendship. And as much as he had disliked Blaine in the past, he knew that it wasn't fair to him.

But now, with his head cocked to the side slightly, leaning forward so that he was inching closer to Kurt... he felt like he didn't want to be anywhere else.

Dave stopped so that there was only a little bit of space left between them, where he was just waiting for something to happen. He wanted to kiss Kurt... there was no doubt about that. But he remembered what had happened last time, where Kurt had pushed him away with a frightened look on his face. Dave didn't want it to end up like that again. He just wouldn't be able to handle Kurt's rejection once more.

He only wanted a kiss if it was something that Kurt had wanted, too. Now, here he was- leaning forward so close to Kurt, yet waiting for _him_ to close the gap between them.

Kurt could see the hesitation in Dave's face, especially once he had stopped leaning in towards him. Kurt began breathing harder, immediately feeling like this was the one thing that he wanted right now more than anything else.

Kurt finally began to lean forward towards Dave... close enough to where he felt Dave's breath on his own lips.

Dave saw Kurt's lips part as he was coming closer. He wanted to close his eyes and just wait... but he felt like he may miss something by shutting them.

All of a sudden, both were brought back to reality. Here they were in a classroom at McKinley, a mire inch or so away from kissing. They both glanced over each other's face for a few moments, realizing what they had almost done.

Dave swallowed hard, taking a few steps back away from Kurt as he turned slightly to lean back against the counter.

Kurt turned towards the counter, clearing his throat nervously as he began flipping through a textbook that had been sitting there.

They both stood silently for a minute, where guilty expressions soon came to both of their faces.

Kurt wanted to say something.

Dave wanted to something.

"Kurt, I'm sorry-"

"I'm sorry-"

They both had begun talking at the same time, looking towards each other for another few moments in silence. Dave smiled nervously, where Kurt let out a huff in nervous amusement.

Dave rubbed the back of his neck, raising one of his eyebrows, as he then slid his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Let's just, uh... forget about that, alright?"

"Okay," Kurt replied immediately, a fake smile coming to his face. "That sounds good."

"Okay," Dave said looking away, as he walked over to the other side of the classroom away from Kurt.

Kurt just looked back down towards the book on the counter, feeling even guiltier than before. _Let's just, uh... forget about that, alright?_ He didn't want to forget about it... and that's exactly what scared him.


	18. Chapter 18

It was a few days after Regionals. New Directions had won and they were off to Nationals, which should've put Kurt in the best mood. Only... he wasn't. Kurt and Dave had still been talking to each other ever since what had happened before the PFLAG meeting... though, their conversations were now awkward and quiet, no matter how hard either of them tried to act like everything was fine and normal.

Things weren't fine. They weren't normal. Kurt was spending so much of his time second-guessing himself. One minute, he'd be thinking about Blaine and how happy he was with him. The next, he'd be thinking about Dave and how much he had realized that he actually cared about him. It was all a mess, and Kurt had no idea of what he was supposed to do.

Kurt, like so many times before, had gone into the auditorium after school to spend a little bit of time by himself. He sat at the piano that was on the stage, resting his left elbow against the frame just before the piano keys. He was slouching over slightly, holding his head up with his hand for support. Kurt stared down towards the piano keys with a blank expression, where he was continuously using his right index finger to press down on one of them every few seconds.

He was miserable. And confused. And...

Dave walked up the stage stairs, where he noticed that Kurt made no indication of looking up. He stopped a few feet from the piano, wondering if Kurt even knew that he was there.

Kurt could sense that someone was standing there, yet he had no desire, whatsoever, to glance up to see who it was. He didn't care. He just wanted to be by himself.

"Hi," Dave said softly.

Kurt immediately stopped his finger from pressing down on the same piano key again, as soon as he heard Dave's voice. He honestly wished that it would've been anyone other than Dave at that moment. "Hey," he replied unenthusiastically, though he never brought his head up to look back at him.

Dave stared at Kurt for a few moments, glancing over him as he was sitting down on the piano bench. He didn't know what to say. He didn't even know if Kurt wanted him to say anything about that day... Dave turned his body so that he was facing towards all of the empty seats in the auditorium. He took a deep breath, looking all around from the left to the right, as a small smile formed. "I have to say... I can definitely see why you love being on stage now."

He had gone through both Sectionals and Regionals with New Directions, where they had won both and were now moving on to Nationals. Even though Dave had often talked about how much he thought glee club sucked in the past, he loved it now. Being up on a stage with the people that were, now, his friends was always an exciting moment for him.

Dave glanced back over to look at Kurt, who was still just staring down towards the piano keys without saying anything. He walked a few steps closer to the edge of the piano, where a puzzled expression came to his face. "Kurt?"

"What?" Kurt honestly had been blocking everything out. He didn't know what Dave had said, or how long he had actually been talking.

"I said I can see why you love being on stage," Dave repeated himself.

Kurt nodded briefly, "Oh," before glancing back down at the piano keys.

Dave slid both of his hands into the pockets of his jeans, where his expression slowly turned sad, as he looked down at the stage floor for a few moments. He still didn't know what to say. He knew that they had both been trying to act normal around each other. They were trying to act as if nothing had really happened in the classroom that day before the PFLAG meeting, but... it was different between them now.

Even though Dave was pretty sure that he knew exactly what was bothering Kurt, he still didn't want to bring it up, in case he was somehow incorrect. "Is something wrong?" he shrugged slightly.

"Nope," Kurt responded immediately, though he still didn't look up at Dave.

Dave huffed in amusement, attempting to lighten the mood somehow. "You're a horrible liar, you know that?" he said with a smile.

Slowly, Kurt finally raised his head up to gaze at Dave, though his expression was tense and irritated. "Dave... what do you want?"

Dave, with his hands still deep in his pockets, looked back down towards the stage floor for a moment. "Come on... I'm trying here," he said sincerely.

Kurt raised both of his hands up to his sides, shrugging dramatically. "Okay?" he rolled his eyes.

"What do you want me to say?" Dave asked. He knew that he had raised his voice, but he just hated the fact that it was like this between him and Kurt now.

"Um..." Kurt looked around the auditorium, motioning with his hands, as if he had no idea as to what Dave was talking about. "I don't actually recall me saying that I was looking for you to say _anything_."

Dave scoffed, rolling his own eyes. "So... what? You're mad at me?" he asked, with a shake of his head.

Kurt glanced down towards his hands, laughing lightly, though he was obviously still completely annoyed. "You know what?" he asked, standing up from the piano bench and looking back at Dave. "I don't want to do this with you right now. So can you _please_ just leave me alone?"

Dave glanced over Kurt's face a few times, taking his hands out of his pockets. "Yeah," he nodded. "Fine." He started walking back towards the stage stairs, stopping right before he hit the first step.

Kurt watched Dave stand there for a few moments. "What?" he finally asked, crossing his arms over his stomach.

Dave turned back around slightly to see Kurt, pausing before he slowly started to shake his head briefly. "Nothing. I just..." he glanced down towards the stage floor. "I don't get it," he shrugged.

"Get what?" Kurt shrugged back, while his arms were still crossed.

"Why does it have to be like this?" Dave huffed, with another shake of his head. "I mean... fine. We both made a mistake. But we stopped it, right?" He was waiting for some sort of acknowledgement from Kurt that never came.

"Why do we have to let it mess things up?" Dave finished.

Kurt knew exactly what Dave was talking about, only he had been spending most of his time lately attempting to forget about how they had almost kissed. _That was the plan anyways, right?_ He shrugged once more, trying to act as if he was confused. "Um, I d-don't... really know what you're talking about," he stammered.

"Kurt," Dave said seriously.

"Dave," Kurt mocked him.

Dave huffed once more, shaking his head in disappointment. "Thanks," he nodded, turning back around towards the stage stairs.

Even though Kurt knew it'd be better for Dave to leave before he said or did anything else that he would probably regret, he just couldn't stop himself from continuing to speak.

"Right," Kurt raised his voice. "Well, I don't exactly remember saying that there was something wrong or that I was mad at you," he continued. "Maybe I just didn't feel like talking today. Did that ever cross your mind?"

Dave turned back around towards Kurt and laughed, his eyes narrowing, as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. "That would've been fine for you to say to me awhile ago, but the fact that you've been acting like this towards me _since_ all that happened..." he shook his head, pausing for a moment. "What you _just_ said makes no sense at all."

Kurt glanced back down towards the stage floor, unable to look back at Dave. He shifted his weight back and forth between his feet, completely unsure as to what he could possibly say. He didn't want to fight with Dave. He didn't want to deal with any of this. He just wished they could go back to how it was before the whole incident in the classroom before the PFLAG meeting.

"Please just talk to me," Dave pleaded.

"I really don't have anything to say," Kurt finally looked back up, where his eyes were wide. "I mean," he shrugged. "We said that we'd just forget about it, right?"

Dave began to nod slowly. "Yeah, we did... but it seems like you're having a problem doing that."

Kurt scoffed, rolling his eyes once again. "Yeah, well... it's hard to forget about someone who tries to kiss you when they know that you're with someone else."

It was a low blow, Kurt knew that. It also wasn't very accurate, seeing as he was just as guilty for what had happened. He had leaned in to kiss Dave, too. There was no reason for him to put all of the blame on Dave, yet he was so angry at this point that he couldn't stop himself. The only problem was that he knew that he was angry with himself more than anything... and that he was just taking it all out on Dave.

Dave smiled, though it was obvious that he was completely irritated. He brought his right hand up and rubbed the back of his neck, sliding his left hand back into one of the pockets of his jeans. "Right... because you definitely weren't going in to kiss me back, were you?"

Kurt's gaze immediately turned into a glare, as he uncrossed his arms over his stomach and began walking towards the chair on the other side of the stage that his bag was sitting on. "And _thanks_ for making me feel worse," he stated.

Dave followed him over to the chair. "You know what? I'm sorry," he nodded, "but... do you actually feel like you didn't deserve for me to say that to you?"

Kurt turned back around, putting the strap of his bag over his shoulder.

"You're standing there throwing it all back in my face, and acting like I was the only one who did anything wrong," Dave finished.

Kurt crossed his arms over his stomach again, rolling his eyes once more. "Have you ever actually stopped to think about some of the things that you've said to me over the past year?" he shrugged. "I mean... what? Was that just your idea of trying to be nice to me?"

Dave's tense expression softened quickly, as he brought his free hand up and slid it into the other pocket of his jeans.

Kurt knew that he was making Dave uncomfortable. While he wanted to stop talking and just leave, he couldn't stop himself from speaking once again.

"You know that I'm with Blaine," Kurt continued. "You really think that all of what you were saying and doing was okay?"

Dave stared back at him, before he slowly looked down towards his feet.

Kurt could hear that Dave had begun breathing harder. He waited a few moments for him to say something or to just walk away.

After a short period of silence, Dave finally glanced back up, looking over Kurt's face a few times before he started to shake his head. "No," he whispered. "I don't."

Dave shrugged. "Fine, you're right," he nodded. "I messed up... a lot. Just like I always have." He shifted his weight between his feet, glancing back down towards the stage floor momentarily. "I told myself so many times that you were my friend... and that you were only ever gonna be my friend," he shook his head once more. "But I still screwed up."

Dave continued staring at Kurt silently for another few moments, where his eyebrows furrowed as he became even more upset than before. "Is that what you wanted me to say?" he shrugged again. He was still breathing hard, as he lowered his head slightly. "I have feelings for you... and I'm sorry," he shook his head. "But I can't lie to you about that."

"Hell," Dave huffed, looking away momentarily. "I can't lie to you about anything."

Kurt's expression softened as he looked back at Dave. He didn't know what to say. All he knew was that he was still scared... and confused... just like before.

"You really never noticed before?" Dave continued, his gaze never leaving Kurt's face. "You never noticed how I'd get whenever you were around me?"

Dave waited a few moments for a response from Kurt, though Kurt just stood still, staring back at him, as if he had no idea of what to say. Dave glanced back down towards his feet, nodding briefly, before looking back up. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, taking a pause before speaking again. "I'm sorry for everything that I said to you and did for you over the past year that," he huffed, "maybe I shouldn't have done."

Looking right into Kurt's eyes, Dave's face got tense again, as he slowly started to shake his head. "But I don't get how you can stand there and act like you haven't been doing the same thing to me."

Kurt knew that he had feelings for Dave, but the idea of _Dave_ knowing that is exactly what scared him. With his arms still crossed over his stomach, he could feel his face turning red. He didn't want to deal with this right now. He didn't even know how to deal with it all.

"You can go now," Kurt stated, though his voice was so strained. He swallowed hard, never looking away from Dave.

Dave gazed back at Kurt with the same tense expression, taking quite a few moments before he even blinked. After another few seconds of silence, he slowly began to shake his head. "No," he said firmly.

Kurt glanced over Dave's face a few times, becoming even more upset than he was before. He couldn't handle this right now. He didn't want to... He tried to slow his breaths, though he knew that there was nothing he could do at that moment. He just wanted to run away from Dave and cry, honestly. Bringing his right hand up to his right shoulder in order to grasp the strap of his bag, Kurt quickly began walking towards the stage stairs to leave.

As soon as Kurt had passed him, Dave knew that he wanted to stop him somehow. "You're scared," he stated, right before Kurt had made it to the first step.

Kurt was even more upset now, where he turned back around sharply and took a few steps back over to where Dave was standing. "Really?" he asked in irritation. "Why would I be?"

Dave replied quietly, even though the expression on his face was just as tense as before. "Because you have feelings for me, too."

Kurt just stared back at Dave, taking in what he had just heard. Dave was right. Dave knew. For some reason, Kurt thought that, just maybe, he hadn't been that obvious over the time that they had been around each other. But Dave knew.

As his expression softened, Kurt closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath. He brought his hand up to his shoulder, grabbing the strap of his bag and letting it fall to the floor. He turned away from Dave and walked back over towards the piano bench, plopping down backwards so that he could lean his back against the piano.

Dave slowly made his way over, sitting down next to Kurt, where he leaned forward to stare down at his feet. He waited a few moments before he glanced over to look at Kurt. His voice was much more calm and soft compared to before. "You do, right?" he asked, as he raised one of his eyebrows. "Because... I'm just gonna feel pretty stupid if you don't."

Kurt turned his head to look over to Dave, huffing in amusement as a smirk came to his face. He began shaking his head, laughing lightly. "Even in the middle of an argument, you can still get me to laugh."

Kurt glanced back down towards the floor, not wanting to be able to look at Dave. He thought that if he did, he'd just end up telling him exactly how he felt... and he couldn't do that... not right now. He still loved Blaine. And he honestly didn't know what he wanted to do.

Dave stared straight ahead towards the other side of the auditorium stage. He had admitted so much to Kurt... so much that he never thought he'd ever get the chance to say before they both graduated. But even now that he said it... Dave just felt worse. He knew that Blaine made Kurt happy, and no matter how he felt about Blaine... he knew that he didn't have a right to mess with any of that.

"I'm sorry, Kurt," Dave finally said, shaking his head. "I know that you're with Blaine... and I've been trying to respect that, but," he turned back towards Kurt, where Kurt immediately looked over to him.

Dave was trying to hold back from saying it, but... he just couldn't anymore. "I wanna be with you."

Kurt glanced over Dave's face for a moment, his mouth opening slightly. He still had no idea of what he could possibly say. He was still so confused. On the one hand, he was with Blaine, who did make him happy and Kurt didn't want to lose him. On the other hand, he knew that he wanted...

"David-" Kurt started.

"No, I know," Dave interrupted him. "Just... let me finish."

Dave stood up from the piano bench, walking a few steps before turning around to face Kurt. He slid his hands back into his pockets, as he shifted his weight back and forth between his feet nervously. He took a deep breath, swallowing hard before bringing his attention back to Kurt.

"I know that, uh," Dave cleared his throat, "I don't deserve you." He had a small smile on his face, though it just seemed sad. He shrugged, glancing away momentarily. "After everything that I did to you... I know that we could probably only ever be friends," he nodded. "Blaine makes you happy... and I want you to be happy."

Dave paused for a few moments, thinking about everything else that he wanted to say. "I know that I probably wouldn't-" he stopped mid-sentence, unable to finish his thought. "Well... it doesn't really matter. I just don't want to ruin anything for you, so..."

Kurt's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, though he also had a sad expression on his face. "But you're not ruining anything..." he replied softly.

"Kurt," Dave stated seriously, though the small smile returned. Dave glanced back down towards the floor, turning his body towards the empty chairs in the auditorium. He looked out towards one of them, keeping his gaze on it as he began to speak again.

"It just hurts sometimes..." Dave huffed. He shook his head, where his expression became even sadder. "It hurts being around you." He turned his head to look back at Kurt, who was still sitting silently on the piano bench.

Dave walked back towards Kurt, clearing his throat again. "I guess, you know... since I screwed up so much last year... I'd never really have a shot, huh?" he said with another sad smile.

Kurt glanced over Dave's face a few times, still unsure as to what he could possibly say. After a few moments of silence, he slowly began to shake his head. "I don't know," he whispered.

Dave knew exactly what Kurt had meant by that. Their past was messy; there was no doubt about that. Dave wasn't even completely out to everyone and Kurt was still with Blaine. _Maybe I'm not even ready to be with somebody_, Dave thought.

It wasn't fair to Kurt to bring all of this onto him.

Dave nodded, attempting to smile sincerely to show that he understood. "I guess nobody would really approve anyways," he shrugged, raising one of his hands to rub the back of his neck. He was mainly thinking about how Burt would react after everything that had happened... and it wasn't a good reaction.

"What do you want to do?" Kurt asked.

Kurt hadn't taken the time to think about what he had wanted to say before he asked that question. He just knew that he was still so confused. Did he still want to be with Blaine? Did he want to take a chance with Dave, even with their past and how people would probably react? He just didn't know...

Kurt immediately realized that he was probably asking Dave what he wanted to do, in hopes that maybe Dave would say that he wanted to wait for him to figure things out.

Unfortunately, Dave had already made up his mind that it would probably be better if he didn't really spend as much time with Kurt. Dave took a few moments, where he swallowed once and slid his hands back into his pockets. "Do you think that, uh... maybe we should just stop talking to each other? I mean..." he shrugged, "we only have a little bit of school left, so..."

Dave knew that it was a dumb idea, but he meant everything that he had already said to Kurt. It hurt to be around him. And he didn't want to ruin things between him and Blaine if he was truly happy.

Kurt deserved to be happy... and Dave knew that he'd do whatever it took to make sure that he was.

Kurt shook his head instantly. "No, that's... We don't need to do that," he replied.

"Okay," Dave nodded. "So... what were you thinking?" he shrugged again.

Kurt knew that there were a few different things that he could say... He could just tell Dave that he needed a little bit of time to think about everything in order to figure it all out. But... he was so afraid that he'd get Dave's hopes up, only to end up hurting him in case he decided that he couldn't give Dave a chance...

Everything was a mess, and Kurt was just as confused as before. And yet, he knew that he was taking the easy way out...

"Maybe we should, um... just try to avoid being alone together, I guess," he shrugged. "Then we wouldn't really have to," he stopped mid-sentence, pausing for a moment. "You know?" he asked. _It's just a little over two months until we graduate... I can deal with it_, Kurt tried to tell himself. "I mean, I'm still going to be there if you need anything..." he nodded.

Dave glanced over Kurt's face for a moment, his eyes growing even more sad and serious than before. Slowly, he began to nod. "Okay," he whispered. He looked back down towards the floor, taking both of his hands out of his pockets as he cleared his throat once again. "I guess I should get going," he attempted to smile.

Kurt stood up from the piano bench as Dave made his way to the stage steps. Once Dave stepped off of the last step and touched the floor, Kurt instantly felt like he didn't want him to go. "David."

Dave stopped and turned around to look up at Kurt, who had walked over to the top step of the stage stairs. He could see that Kurt was tearing up a little bit, though he knew that he couldn't ask him why.

All Dave knew was that he felt as if his heart was breaking right in front of Kurt... and yet, he felt as if he had done it to himself.

Kurt stood at the top of the steps silently for another few moments, looking right down at Dave. He slowly began to shake his briefly, continuously telling himself in his head that he wouldn't let himself cry. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

Dave didn't know what to say. He just nodded slightly.

Kurt swallowed, hoping that his voice wouldn't be cracking as he spoke. "No matter what anybody else says... I'm always going to be really proud of you," he nodded. "With everything that you've done this year..." Kurt began, as he smiled. His expression then grew more serious, where he began to shake his head. "Don't ever let anybody tell you that you aren't brave... because you are."

Dave just continued to stare up at Kurt, still unable to say anything back.

"You're a great guy... and you deserve to be happy, just like everybody else," Kurt nodded. "And one day, you're gonna be with the guy that you're meant to be with... and you're gonna be happy."

Dave could feel his eyes tearing up and his throat tightening, but he kept on staring up at Kurt without looking away.

"Don't ever regret anything," Kurt continued, referring to everything that had happened between them, as he shook his head. "You have no reason to," he whispered.

Dave finally felt a tear fall from one of his eyes, as he slowly began to nod towards Kurt. He glanced down towards the floor of the auditorium, licking his upper lip, before looking back up. He gazed over Kurt's face for a few moments silently, thinking of so many things that he still wanted to say.

Kurt saw Dave's mouth open slightly, like he was about to say something.

After another few moments, Dave said the one thing, that he had finally admitted to himself, out loud. "I'm so in love with you..."

Dave smiled sadly at Kurt one last time, as he turned back around and headed out of the auditorium without saying anything else.

Kurt watched Dave until he disappeared from view, a tear falling from one of his own eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

A week had already passed since Dave's confession to Kurt. While they still spoke to each other every now and then, it obviously wasn't the same. Even though they had decided to avoid being alone together, it seemed as if they were both avoiding each other _altogether_ now.

Dave knew that there was nothing else that he could say to Kurt.

Kurt was still confused as to how he was feeling.

The bad thing about the awkwardness between the two was that everyone else in New Directions seemed to notice. They had noticed the sad looks towards each other. And the not talking to each other as much as they had been earlier on in the year... as well as the fact that, whenever they were in glee club rehearsals for Nationals, Kurt and Dave seemed to always sit or stand as far away from each other as possible.

In other words, something was definitely going on.

Mercedes was walking down one of the hallways at McKinley, where she quickly pulled her cell phone out and scrolled through her contacts list. Finding the name she was looking for, she hit one of the buttons and brought the phone up to her ear.

"Hey," Tina answered.

"Hey. What is _wrong_ with Dave?" she asked, glancing over towards her left as Dave passed her on the other side of the hallway. She smiled at him as he nodded, though the expression on his face seemed to remain blank.

"I don't know," Tina shrugged. "I asked him yesterday and he kind of growled at me..." she paused. "It was weird."

"He _growled_ at you?" Mercedes asked, as a very confused look came to her face.

"Okay, maybe I'm over-exaggerating... but it doesn't seem like he's very happy," Tina shook her head.

"Something's up with him," Mercedes replied. "And Kurt's been acting the same way."

"I know," Tina's expression grew concerned. "Maybe they hate each other again."

"That'd be just _great_," Mercedes shook her head. "We're going to Nationals in a few weeks and we still have to get ready."

Tina sighed slightly. "Maybe Artie knows something... I'll buzz him in." She brought her phone down and pressed a few buttons, adding Artie into the conversation.

"Yo," he picked up.

"Do you know what's up with Dave?" Mercedes asked immediately.

"No idea," Artie shrugged. "He hasn't really been saying much of anything lately, to be honest..."

"Maybe he's just depressed because it's close to the end of the year?" Tina added.

Mercedes eyebrows wrinkled, as a look of disbelief came to her face instantly. "Are you serious? I'm sure he can't wait to get out of here, just like the rest of us."

"It was just a suggestion," Tina replied.

"Hold on," Artie said. "Maybe Puck knows something." He took his phone away from his ear and brought Puck into the phone conversation.

Raising one of his eyebrows, Puck picked up after a few moments. "What?"

"Hey, what's up with Karofsky?" Artie asked.

"The hell if I know!" Puck scoffed. "The dude's been moping around here for the past week."

Tina's look of concern grew stronger. "Kurt's kind of been doing the same thing... I think they might've gotten into an argument or something."

Looking a little ways ahead down the hallway, Puck noticed Kurt standing at his open locker. "Well, Kurt's right here. Why don't I just ask him about it?" he asked, irritation clearly in his voice, as he continued to walk closer.

"No!" Mercedes shouted immediately. "I don't him to know that we're talking about him!"

Unfortunately, Puck was now close enough to Kurt that he had already turned around.

Kurt was just staring at him, as it was obvious that he had almost started to say something.

Puck stood there with his mouth open a little bit, unsure of what to do.

"Uh... hey, Kurt!" He finally said, grinning so wide that it was obviously fake and just seemed awkward. "Snazzy outfit, as always!" Puck pointed towards Kurt's clothes, giving him a quick wink.

"Um," Kurt raised one of his eyebrows, taking a look down towards his clothes before he looked back up at Puck as if he was crazy. "Thanks?"

Puck's huge, strange grin remained on his face. "How you doing, pal?"

Kurt was still looking at him with a confused expression. "Fine, I guess..." he answered unsurely.

After another few moments of silence, he glanced over Pucks' face a few times before he nodded briefly, his eyes widening. "Right, well... you're kind of freaking me out, so I'm going to go now." He turned his body slightly, slamming his locker closed, before he walked away.

"Alright, buddy!" Puck said, bringing his right hand up a bit to give Kurt a thumb's up. "See you later!" he pointed again, still grinning. Seconds later, he started walking down the hallway once more, shaking his head, as he now looked annoyed.

"Smooth, Puck," Mercedes rolled her eyes.

Puck scoffed. "Why do you all care what's going on with either of them anyways? There's enough drama going on around here as it is."

Tina saw Finn walking down the hallway, where she stopped him quickly. "Finn, do you know what's going on with Dave and Kurt?"

Finn swallowed hard, glancing around towards the other students, so that he didn't have to look at her right in the face. "Um... nothing" he stated awkwardly. "But I think Dave's, uh... just upset because they aren't serving burgers at lunch today." He shrugged, giving her his usual small smile before walking off.

Tina's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, as she just stood there in the middle of the hallway. "And that would've ruined his whole week?" she asked, beginning to walk again.

"Hold up, Brittany's here," Artie stated, handing her his phone. She looked down towards him, wondering what the conversation was about. "We're talking about what's wrong with Dave... and... Kurt, I guess," he shrugged.

Brittany brought the cell phone up to her ear. "Oh," she said nonchalantly. "I heard Santana talking to Dave on the phone last night."

"What were they saying?" Mercedes asked quickly.

"I didn't hear everything," Brittany shook her head briefly. "But she told me that he's really happy."

Everyone was now looking even more confused than before.

"He's _happy_?" Tina asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Brittany replied nonchalantly again. "They were arguing and then she said something about him being gay."

Everyone ended up stopping abruptly, wherever they were at.

"But that didn't really make any sense to me." Brittany shrugged.

There were a few moments of silence, before Mercedes was finally the first one to speak up. "_What_?" she asked dramatically.

Brittany looked around the hallway, unsure as to what she had just said to cause the reaction. She quickly took a glance down to Artie, seeing that his mouth had dropped slightly.

"I don't know," she shrugged again. "I asked her and she said that she meant that he was happy... Did you know that they used to say gay instead of happy a few years ago?"

Puck replied, still with a very confused expression on his face. "Yeah, I think it was longer than a few..."

"Well, if she said that he's happy, then why do you guys think that something's wrong with him?" Brittany asked.

Artie quickly took the phone away from her, bringing it back up to his own ear. "Guys, I don't really think that this is the best place for us to be talking about this..."

"Yeah," Mercedes nodded, looking around cautiously. "Everybody should probably be quiet until later..."

Everyone ended the call with wide-eyes, though Brittany just seemed as if she had no idea as to what was going on.

* * *

><p>Later that same day, Mercedes, Tina, Artie, Brittany, and Puck were all huddled around the piano discussing what they had heard earlier from Brittany.<p>

"What should we do?" Artie asked, looking around the group.

Mercedes rolled her eyes, shaking her head quickly. "_We_ don't have to do anything. It's none of our business."

"Yeah, but..." Tina glanced down towards the piano, where a look of concern came to her face. "Shouldn't we at least say something to him to let him know that we would accept him, no matter what?"

Artie nodded. "Yeah, I mean... we could try to make him feel more comfortable enough to tell us."

"But what if we're wrong?" Puck chimed in, as his eyes widen in disbelief that they were even having this conversation. "He'd just get pissed off."

Mercedes shook her head once more, glancing back towards the door quickly to make sure that nobody was coming in. "And maybe he doesn't even _want_ us to know."

"It would kind of make sense after last year, though..." Tina replied, referring to what had gone on between Kurt and Dave. "Why don't we just ask Santana?"

"Because then she'll just get mad at Brittany for telling us," Mercedes scoffed in irritation.

Brittany had been silent since they all had gone into the choir room, but now she was just looking more worried than ever. "She told me not to say anything, but I didn't think it was a big deal..."

"It's fine, Brittany," Artie reassured her. "You didn't know," he shook his head.

Tina's eyebrows shot up momentarily. "Well, I definitely don't think that we should flat out ask him... we could just let him know that we're here for him?" she shrugged.

"The dude's probably gonna flip out, do you realize that?" Puck intervened once again.

With all of their attentions focused on the conversation, no one had realized that Dave had just walked into the choir room.

"Hey, guys." He ended up standing in-between Mercedes and Tina- both of whom turned to him slightly, wide-eyed.

"Hi, Dave!"

"Hi!"

All five members of New Directions were just staring at him, where they were each attempting to smile as if they hadn't just been talking about him. Of course, this was a horrible attempt and they all just seemed very awkward.

Dave just stared back, looking between each of them with one of his own eyebrows raised. He blinked a few times, where he began to nod slightly. "You guys okay?" he asked, as a confused expression came to his face.

"Yeah!"

"Of course!"

They had all answered around the same time, meaning their responses were all jumbled together. This, clearly, made the situation even stranger to Dave. Everyone else still stood there staring back, while still smiling awkwardly.

"Okay... I'll just, uh... be over here then..." Dave stated, where he shook his head for a moment, before he walked over to the top row of seats and sat down on the far left. This just allowed him to be as far away from the piano as he could get.

All five New Directions members turned back towards each other, giving each other looks that said that they had no idea of what they were supposed to do, if anything at all.

"Should one of us go over there now?" Tina whispered, looking around to the other four surrounding the piano.

Brittany turned her head slightly to look down at Artie. "I'm scared."

Mercedes scoffed again, shaking her head. "You all need to calm down," she nodded. "We shouldn't be making a big deal out of something that might not even be true. And even if it is, it doesn't have to be a big deal for _him_ either."

Puck shook his own head, raising one of his eyebrows. "So who's gonna go then?"

"Not me," Artie stated immediately.

"Why?" Tina asked.

Artie huffed, pointing over to one of the wheels on his wheelchair. "Because I'm in a wheelchair... If he freaks out, you'll all be able to get away from him faster than I can."

Mercedes, Tina, and Puck all rolled their eyes, shaking their heads briefly.

"I think you should go," Puck said, nodding towards Tina.

"Why me?" she asked, almost hysterically.

"Because..." Artie began, "you're Tina! Nobody ever gets mad at you."

Tina scoffed. "You did when I told you that I didn't have a stutter!"

"Oh yeah..." Artie replied.

Tina looked at Dave, who glanced over to them for a moment before he brought his gaze down towards the floor. She turned back to the other four, shaking her head quickly. "I can't do this."

Artie gave her a slight push away from the piano. "Just... say something!" he nodded.

Slowly, Tina made her way over to where Dave was sitting. She took one quick glance towards the others, who were just staring at her wide-eyed. She turned back to Dave, sitting down in the chair next to him.

Dave, eventually, looked up from the floor and turned his head. "Hey..."

"Hi, Dave," a huge grin came to her face instantly from where it was completely blank just a second ago.

Dave's eyebrows furrowed together as he had no idea as to what was going on. "Um... what's up?"

"Nothing, really," she shook her head briefly, though the huge smile still remained as she just stared back at him.

He nodded for a moment, clearly not understanding what was going on with her.

"So..." Tina began. "It's nice out today, huh?"

Dave took a glance towards the other four at the piano, who were all just looking at both him and Tina from a distance.

As soon as they noticed that he was looking, they quickly turned away from him and acted like they hadn't just been staring.

Dave nodded slightly, though he still did not understand anything. "Uh, sure."

"So, um... it's really cool that you've done a lot with Kurt in PFLAG. You know... showing people that it's okay if they're different and that you accept them for who they are and everything," Tina nodded, still smiling as wide as ever.

Dave just stared back at her, blinking a few times before responding. "Yeah..."

Tina cleared her throat, glancing up towards the ceiling nonchalantly as she continued speaking. "Because, you know... I think we're all different in here," she nodded once more, looking back at Dave. "And we all accept each other for who we are. And we don't judge each other."

Dave was just staring at her like she was crazy, at this point. Sure, he guessed that they could say that they were all friends, but that definitely didn't stop them from insulting one another practically every single day.

Tina quickly understood what his look had meant. "Well... at least, sometimes," she corrected herself.

"Right," Dave shrugged.

Tina clasped her hands together on her lap, smiling wide again. "Um, so, you know... if you ever need to talk or to tell me anything, I'll be there for you... you know?" she nodded once again.

Dave's eyebrows wrinkled even more in confusion. He turned his head, staring straight ahead towards the dry erase board at the front of the room. He blinked a few times, and after a moment, he looked back towards her. "Uh. Okay?"

"Okay," she grinned again. "Well... I'll be back," she stated awkwardly. She immediately stood up from the chair and walked back over towards the others near the piano.

They all stood there silently for a moment, until Dave leaned forward in his chair, resting his elbows on his knees before he stared down towards the floor.

"Well?" Artie finally asked.

"Well what? He didn't tell me anything," Tina shook her head.

Mercedes rolled her eyes, scoffing once again in irritation. "Guys, this is stupid..."

Puck leaned over the piano to get closer. "Yeah, and I don't think he'll suspect anything when he notices that we're all whispering over here."

Slowly, they each turned their heads to look back at Dave. He clearly felt eyes on him, as he looked up from the floor to meet their gaze.

They all instantly looked away, as if they hadn't just been staring at him again.

Mercedes shook her head. "Yeah... that was subtle," she huffed. "Let's just forget it."

"I feel bad..." Brittany stated, a sad expression on her face. Artie patted her hand for a moment.

"Okay, look," Mercedes began again. "If he _is_ gay and he doesn't want us to know, then that's his decision," she whispered, shrugging slightly.

"Who's gay?" Mike asked quietly. He had walked into the room and was now leaning in to hear their conversation, though they hadn't noticed until it was too late.

They all looked around towards each other, wide-eyed. "Nobody," a few of them said, shaking their heads quickly.

Mercedes glanced back over to Dave, who was still staring down at the floor. It seemed as if he hadn't heard them.

Mike just looked confused, though he eventually shrugged and walked over to one of the seats to sit down. Santana then came in, eyeing the group suspiciously for a moment.

"Alright, guys- go sit down! We have a lot of work to do before Nationals," Mr. Schue stated, as he walked into the choir room.

The group quickly dispersed, where everyone else began walking over to their chairs. Kurt and the other members of New Directions then showed up, walking to their own seats.

As Kurt walked by, he shot a quick glance towards Dave who wasn't looking back at him. Once he took his seat towards the far right next to Mercedes, he brought his gaze back to Dave, who finally did look over.

Dave still seemed sad, like he had been looking lately, though he offered Kurt a small smile before glancing back to Mr. Schuester.

Kurt smiled back, though it went away quickly as he turned his head. He was trying to pay attention to Mr. Schue, but... he just couldn't. All that he knew was that he still felt confused... and scared...

And that he was missing Dave more than ever.


	20. Chapter 20

Another week had gone by, and Kurt found himself driving all the way to Westerville to visit Blaine at Dalton. He had actually done this several times recently, though he knew that Blaine must have known that something was going on. Kurt was distant... quiet... just as he had been to almost everyone as of late. Things weren't the same and, to be completely honest, Kurt didn't want things to go back to the way they were. But he still wasn't sure of what he truly wanted to do...

Both Kurt and Blaine were sitting on one of the couches in Dalton's common room, though awkward silence had been surrounding them for awhile now. This, of course, was nothing new to either of them. While Kurt obviously knew that something was wrong, he wasn't exactly sure of how Blaine felt about it all. He knew that Blaine had noticed his changed behavior, yet he hadn't mentioned anything to Kurt about this. It was as if Blaine didn't know of what to do, where he just decided to not deal with it at all by remaining quiet.

Over the past few weeks, Blaine _had_ realized that his relationship with Kurt wasn't working anymore. He tried ignoring those feelings so many times, yet... he just couldn't anymore. He had been avoiding bringing it up to Kurt because he didn't want to say anything to hurt him. But now, things just seemed to be getting worse. The past few weeks of silence for both of them had been strange and awkward, though he felt as if they had actually helped him to prepare for the moment when he knew that one of them would likely end what they were desperately trying to hold onto.

Blaine took a deep sigh, shrugging slightly. "You want to talk about it?"

Kurt brought his gaze up from the floor to look back at him, as his eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Talk about what?"

"About what's going on with you," Blaine's eyes narrowed.

Kurt glanced over Blaine's face for a few moments, before he slowly began to shake his head. "There's nothing going on with me..."

Blaine smirked, shrugging once more. "Really?" He adjusted on the couch, raising himself up a little bit so that he could turn his body more towards Kurt. "Kurt, I'm going to be honest with you about something," he nodded. "I've pretty much lost count of how many times we've gotten together recently, where you've just sat there not saying anything."

"I'm sorry," Kurt stated, though he sounded irritated. He closed his eyes for a moment, lowering his head down. "I just..." he looked back up, "_there's_ just a lot going on right now, with-"

"With Nationals and graduation coming up," Blaine interrupted him. "Yeah... I know," he nodded.

Kurt rolled his eyes. "I'm sorry if I'm annoying you because those things are bothering me."

Blaine scoffed lightly, shaking his head. "I didn't say that... please don't put words in my mouth."

Kurt's expression became tenser, as he looked away, crossing his arms over his stomach. "Fine," he mumbled.

"Look," Blaine huffed, "you know that I absolutely love when you come visit me and everything, but... I'm just really confused as to why you would drive all the way here, where it's obvious that you're really upset about something, and yet," he shook his head. "You don't give me any reason as to why..."

Kurt glanced back, shaking his own head in disbelief. "I already told you what was wrong," he stated firmly.

Blaine stared back at Kurt, though the expression on his face was completely blank. He blinked a few times, before he shook his head once again. "I don't believe you."

"Why?" Kurt's eyes widened.

"Because I know how you are," Blaine shrugged. He cleared his throat, glancing down towards his hands for a moment. "Yeah," he nodded, "you get a little nervous before a competition, but it's never been this bad. And as far as graduation," he scoffed, "you've been so excited about going off to New York later this year."

Blaine took another few moments to glance over Kurt's face before he finished his thought. "It just... doesn't make any sense to me."

Kurt rolled his eyes once again, as he was clearly annoyed with what he had just heard. "I don't appreciate this," he replied. "I came here because I wanted to see you- not because I wanted to be accused of being a liar."

Blaine took a deep breath, shaking his head. "Then tell me the truth... what's going on with you?" he shrugged once more.

Kurt just stared back at him. His face was even tenser than before, and he had no idea as to what to say. He loved Blaine, but...

Blaine waited another few moments, before a sad smile came to his face. "You came here because you wanted to see me? The past few times we've been around each other, you've always ended up staring down at the floor... or you look at _anything_ else other than me."

"I'm sorry," Kurt said immediately, turning his body back to face Blaine. "What do you want me to say?"

Blaine brought his left hand up, rubbing at his chin. He stood up from the couch, taking a few steps before he turned back around to look at Kurt. "What are we doing?" he shook his head.

"Um," Kurt glanced around in confusion. "I think we're attempting to have a conversation," he replied sarcastically.

Blaine continued shaking his head, though his expression grew more serious. "You know that's not what I meant."

Kurt crossed his legs, scoffing in annoyance. "Okay... maybe coming here was a bad idea."

"Kurt," Blaine stated, as he stared right at him. There were a few moments of silence before he shrugged briefly. "I can't keep doing this with you..."

Kurt hadn't been expecting to hear those words coming out of Blaine's mouth, but he honestly couldn't blame him. It wasn't working anymore, and he couldn't lie to himself about that any longer.

Blaine raised his right hand up, rubbing the back of his neck, as he looked down towards the floor. "You don't talk to me... you don't tell me anything," he closed his eyes, raising his head back up, where he opened them once again. "I feel like I have no idea of what's even going on with you anymore."

Kurt closed his own eyes, rubbing his forehead. Things were so messed up and he hated the fact that he had been putting Blaine through all of this... as well as himself. "I'm just..." he shook his head, "I don't even know."

"Yes, you do," Blaine nodded.

Kurt glanced back over his face a few times, still unsure as to what he could possibly say. He didn't know what it felt like to have someone break up with him, but he was pretty sure that he would know soon.

Blaine glanced down towards the carpet again, swallowing hard, before gazing back at Kurt. "Do you love me?"

Kurt's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion, just like before. "Why do you even have to ask me that?" He did love Blaine; there was no doubt about that.

There were another few moments of silence before Blaine walked back over to the couch and sat down, turning his body so that he was facing Kurt once again. "Are you in love with me?"

Kurt knew exactly what he was asking... but it was so hard for him to be able to open his mouth in order to reply. "Blaine, I don't-" he began.

"_Loving_ someone," Blaine interrupted, "and being _in_ love with them... are two different things."

Kurt just continued to stare back, still not being able to answer Blaine's question. All he could do was nod slightly.

Blaine took a deep breath, as he attempted to smile, though it just seemed sad. "Kurt... I love you. You know that," he nodded. "You're my best friend... and you're always going to be my best friend, but... I think that's exactly what's wrong with us."

Kurt glanced down towards his hands, where he clasped them together. He was too scared to look at Blaine. He knew that everything he had said was right... Kurt was just too afraid to say that he agreed with him.

"There's been something wrong with us for awhile now," Blaine nodded again. "I know that you know that."

Kurt looked back at him, though he knew that his eyes had begun to get misty. Even though he knew that this was the right thing for them to do, it still hurt. He opened his mouth slightly to try and say something, though nothing came out once again. All he was able to do was nod briefly, like before.

Blaine had been waiting for Kurt to say something, but when he knew that nothing was coming, he continued. "Can you honestly look at me right now and tell me that it still feels like I'm your boyfriend?"

Kurt glanced over his face a few times, knowing that his voice would be strained, yet that he needed to say something. "I don't know... I..." he gazed back down towards his hands once more. He knew that it wasn't a good enough answer, as he slowly started shaking his head. "No..."

Blaine smiled sadly, though he began to nod. "I feel like we've both been pretending that everything's been fine for a little while now... when we both knew that it wasn't," he shrugged. "And I'm not saying this to try to hurt you or to blame you," he paused. "I don't think it was either of our faults," he shook his head. "I mean... I know that you're upset right now, but... you know that I'm not wrong."

"So..." Kurt swallowed hard, sniffing once. "What? Is this supposed to be it?"

Blaine sighed softly, turning his body a bit more on the couch to face Kurt. "I have a question for you... and I just want you to be honest with me, okay?"

Kurt felt like he couldn't reply again, so he just began to nod.

"Do you, um... do you remember a little while back when I was over at your house, and... Dave stopped by because he had just came out to his dad?" Blaine asked.

Kurt nodded once again.

"And not that this was the first time that this had crossed my mind, but," Blaine glanced down towards his hands, before looking back up. "I just knew that there was something going on between you two."

Kurt blinked a few times, unsure of how to respond. He honestly hadn't known that Blaine had noticed or thought of anything about him and Dave. "Blaine-"

"No, I'm not saying that I think you did anything with him," Blaine interrupted, attempting to reassure Kurt. "That's not what I mean."

Kurt's expression relaxed as he waited for Blaine to continue.

"Kurt... I saw the way he looked at you," Blaine shook his head briefly. "I know how much you've done for him because you actually care about him. See... when you first started helping him out, you were always telling me what was going on and how he was doing and... you know," he shrugged. "I really appreciated it because you knew that I was hesitant with everything from the beginning... and yet, you'd still tell me even though you knew that I trusted you."

Kurt shifted on the couch uncomfortably, once he realized where Blaine was going with this.

Blaine glanced over Kurt's face a few times. "But lately... I can't even remember the last time that you've mentioned him," he shrugged once more, taking a few moments before speaking again. "Is that what's been bothering you?" he asked sympathetically. "Is it because of Dave?"

Kurt turned his head away from Blaine, unable to look right back at him. He had known that this was the question that Blaine was eventually going to be getting at, but now that he had finally asked it, he wasn't sure of how to answer. He didn't even know if he wanted to answer. He just didn't want to hurt Blaine anymore than he already had.

"Kurt," Blaine finally said after another few moments of silence. "Please just tell me."

Kurt eventually looked back over, where his mouth opened slightly, as he tried to just say something. He knew that he owed it to Blaine to tell him the truth. Slowly, he began to nod. "Yes," he whispered.

Blaine nodded back briefly. "Do you have feelings for him?"

Kurt brought his left hand up to his forehead, partially covering his eyes. He could feel a few tears falling, though he couldn't do anything to stop them. He was numb. And hurt. And scared. And... "It wasn't supposed to be like this..." he finally stated, though his voice was still strained. "It just wasn't."

"It wasn't supposed to be like what?" Blaine asked.

Kurt sniffed again, looking back over, where he began to shake his head. "I never wanted to hurt you..."

"I know," Blaine smiled softly. "Kurt," he began to shake his own head, "with or without Dave... I think we both would've ended up getting hurt anyways," he nodded.

Kurt glanced back down at his hands, though he quickly brought one up to rub a few of the tears away that had fallen onto one of his cheeks. He huffed in amusement, sniffing again. "You're right... I know," he nodded, looking back at Blaine. "You're right."

Blaine reached his right hand over, placing it on top of one of Kurt's. "It's okay... we're going to be okay," he nodded again.

Kurt smiled, nodding back. It hurt knowing that they were ending their relationship, but he also knew that it was the right thing to do. Just knowing that it wasn't going to end badly and that Blaine was even still willing to talk to him made Kurt feel a little bit better about everything.

"I don't know what to do," Kurt huffed again, shaking his head. "I just... I'm a mess," he laughed lightly, through a few more tears.

"So... what happened?" Blaine eventually asked, out of curiosity. "I mean... did he do something to hurt you or what?"

"Oh, no," Kurt shook his head, sniffing once more. "Nothing like that. He just... he also knew what was going on between us and... we just haven't been talking," he glanced down towards the floor momentarily, clasping his hands together. "But... I don't even know why _we're_ talking about this," he looked back over at Blaine, wide-eyed. "I'm sure it's not making you feel any better."

Blaine smirked softly, nodding. "Well, I admit that I'm definitely hurting a little bit right now, but... I'll be alright," he shrugged.

"Still though," Kurt continued. "It's just... I'm not even ready for _me_ to think about any of this."

Blaine continued smiling softly, clearing his throat. "It kind of seems like you already have to me," he crossed his arms.

Kurt looked back over towards him, as his eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "Why do you say that?"

"You're my best friend," Blaine replied, as his smile grew. "I just know these things," he shrugged.

Kurt laughed lightly once again, shaking his head. "Whatever."

"So..." Blaine eventually continued, "why haven't you two been talking then?"

"We just," Kurt took a deep breath, pausing for a few moments. "We just decided that maybe it'd be better if we tried to avoid being alone together," he nodded. "He said he didn't want to ruin anything for me, but... we pretty much haven't said anything to each other since."

Blaine's own eyebrows furrowed together. "That was his idea?"

"Yeah," Kurt nodded briefly.

Blaine glanced over towards the wall, thinking about what he'd just heard. "Wow." His eyebrows shot up momentarily, as he looked back towards Kurt. "He cares about you more than I thought," he huffed in amusement, shaking his head.

Kurt looked over at him sympathetically, still feeling completely awful about the entire situation. Though, he knew Blaine was right... Dave really did care about him.

"Look," Blaine smiled again. "I may be upset right now, but..." he nodded, "I still want you to be happy."

Kurt smiled back, though his expression then grew serious, as he let his head fall back against the top of the couch. "What am I doing?" he asked himself, glancing around the room. "I mean... _what_ am I doing?" He stood up from the couch, as he began pacing back and forth. "How would I even be able to _date_ him?" He turned back around towards Blaine, who was just staring up at him with an eyebrow raised.

"One," Kurt hit both of his index fingers together, "he's not even out to everyone. Two," he then hit his right index finger against two fingers on his left hand, "we have a horrible history together. Three," he did the same action against three fingers, "my dad would _freak_ out... Finn would freak out... _everybody_ would freak out." Kurt realized that he had raised his voice, though he couldn't stop himself. "Oh my god, what is wrong with me?" he whined.

Blaine was still just staring up at him with one of his eyebrows raised.

"See, I'm doing it again," Kurt stopped abruptly, shaking his head towards Blaine. "These are things that you definitely don't need to hear right now," he stated, plopping back down on the couch.

Blaine laughed lightly, shaking his own head. "Okay... so as I've learned from the past, I don't always give the best advice, but... I think you need to calm down, first of all," he smiled.

Kurt smiled too, rolling his eyes, as he thought about the outburst that he had just had. Technically, he was rolling his eyes at the entire situation with Blaine. It was strange, and yet... comforting, at the same time.

"You're not being forced to make a decision about anything right now," Blaine continued. "And nobody's going to make you," he shook his head once more. "Honestly, I think that you need to take some time for yourself and figure out what _you_ want. I mean, I understand everything that you just said about David, but..." he trailed off.

Kurt noticed Blaine's expression change, from the soft smile to a blank face, with his mouth open slightly. "What?" he finally asked.

"Okay, yeah," Blaine eventually continued. "I do feel a little weird talking to you about dating someone, so..." he laughed awkwardly.

Kurt huffed in amusement. He then took a deep breath, as his expression grew more serious. Things were still so messed up, and he wasn't sure of what he was going to do.

"I'm just scared," Kurt looked back towards Blaine. "With everything that's happened... and everything that would still _need_ to happen," he shook his head. "I just... I don't know."

Blaine's expression also grew more serious, where he began to nod briefly. "Kurt, I'm not saying that you'll end up giving Dave a chance or that you won't give him one, but... you'll figure it out," he nodded again. "I know you will," he smiled softly.

Kurt smiled back, looking away towards the floor, as he began to laugh again. "This is seriously the most bizarre conversation that I have ever had with anyone."

Blaine laughed as well, shrugging slightly. "Yeah, well... hopefully we'll still be able to have a whole lot more of them in the future."

Kurt glanced back, smiling again. "I'd like that," he stated. "Do you think that, uh... we could at least attempt to not become bitter exes towards each other?" he raised one of his eyebrows. "You know... especially when we _do_ start dating other people..."

Blaine grinned, laughing lightly. "Yeah, definitely," he nodded.

Kurt immediately scooted closer, putting his arms around Blaine to give him a hug.

Blaine hugged back, taking a deep breath.

"Thank you..." Kurt said softly, pulling away from the hug. "For everything," he nodded.

Blaine nodded back. He knew that no matter what happened, he'd always be friends with Kurt. And he'd always be grateful that they had met each other. "Right back at you," he smiled.


	21. Chapter 21

It had been a couple of weeks since Kurt's breakup with Blaine, and while he felt a little bit better about his current situation, he was still miserable. He had wanted to talk to Dave for so long now, but... he just couldn't figure out exactly what he should say to him. _Hi. I think I may want to date you, but I'm scared and I don't know what to do_. That was the best line that Kurt had came up with at this point, but he didn't like that one very much. And the fact that Dave didn't think that he deserved Kurt and that he couldn't make him as happy as anyone else didn't help at all, either.

Funnily enough, word did not get around about Kurt's breakup. While he had told Mercedes, Rachel, and Finn, he had also told them that it wasn't something that bothered him all that much... as well as the fact that he didn't want it to get spread around to the members of New Directions, as it really didn't concern them. And not that they'd be all that interested, anyways.

So, here Kurt was in the choir room with mostly everyone else, sitting on the far left in the first row next to Rachel, while still debating with himself on what was the right thing that he could say to Dave. It was still quiet and awkward between them, and practically every scenario that he came up with in his head just seemed like it'd make things worse. Glancing around, he then noticed that Dave had yet to show up, as Mr. Schue walked into the room.

"Okay, guys," Mr. Schuester stated, clasping his hands together with a light slap. "We're just a couple of weeks away from Nationals. Now... I know that most of you-"

"Hey, Mr. Schue?" Dave interrupted, walking through one of the doors of the choir room and closing it behind him. "Can I say something real quick?"

Mr. Schuester nodded briefly, "Sure, Dave. That's fine," as he walked off to the side to lean against the piano near the front of the room.

"Thanks," Dave replied, staring down at the floor, as he cleared his throat.

It was getting to the point where Kurt's chest would literally start hurting every single time that he even looked Dave's way. The fact that he was now standing up in front of everyone, clearly nervous about something, just made that feeling worse.

Dave quickly slid both of his hands into the pockets of his jeans, clearing his throat once again. He eventually glanced back up towards everyone and shrugged slightly. "I, uh... this is kind of random, but I just wanted to thank you guys for..." he nodded, "pretty much everything this year."

Dave smirked, though he still seemed very nervous about whatever he was about to say. "I mean, I know that some of us talked about the last couple of years and all the stuff that went on, but, uh..." he took his left hand out of his pocket and rubbed the back of his neck. "It's just nice knowing that I have some great friends in here now," he nodded once more. "You know, some of you have helped me out a whole lot this year..."

He glanced over towards Kurt, pausing for a few moments to look right at him.

"Kurt, especially..." Dave continued.

Kurt was completely unsure as to what Dave was going to be saying, though he immediately smiled softly.

Dave quickly gazed back down towards the floor, taking a deep breath. "Um, and saying that, I... I just wanted to tell you guys something that I, uh, well... that only a few of you know about already," he looked from the left to the right towards everyone sitting down. "Hopefully it doesn't make you look at me differently or anything, but, uh... you know, I just trust you guys enough to tell you, so... um, yeah."

He glanced back down again, closing his eyes for a few brief moments. He then took another deep breath, looking back up quickly. Shrugging as if it was no big deal, he finally said what he had been trying to say. "I'm gay," he nodded.

Kurt's eyes widened in disbelief. While he was happy that Dave had finally told everyone else, he still couldn't believe that it was happening right then. Without turning his head at all, Kurt moved his eyes over to the right to try and analyze everyone else's reaction.

He had already known about Santana, Quinn, Rachel, and Finn knowing about Dave. Their reactions were pretty much the same as his- wide eyes and dropped mouths out of disbelief. Everyone else, on the other hand, just seemed to be staring at Dave with blank expressions on their faces. Kurt didn't understand why it was completely silent in the room, though he soon thought that maybe they were all just in shock...

That is, until he saw a few of the other members of New Directions, that hadn't previously known about Dave, begin to smile softly and nod, as if they already knew. One of Kurt's eyebrows shot up, as he was so confused as to how this had turned into quite a different kind of awkward situation. He noticed Santana, Quinn, Rachel, and Finn with similar reactions to everyone's silence. He thought that if this couldn't be labeled as strange, he definitely didn't have any idea as to what _could_ be.

Mr. Schuester, unsurprisingly, was late to say anything. His eyes were wide and his mouth had dropped, also, though he finally stepped over to Dave, patting him on the shoulder. "David... that's so great that you were able to tell us all that," he smiled, nodding towards him. He then turned back to his students, raising one of his own eyebrows out of curiosity, as to why the reaction to Dave's coming out had been less than enthusiastic. "Wasn't it, guys?"

"Yeah," someone shouted out, along with a few other similar replies. The only problem was that it just seemed to make the situation even more awkward. Kurt continued looking at everyone else as if they were crazy for barely having any sort of reaction to Dave's announcement.

Dave just stared back at everyone, blinking quite a few times before saying anything else. "Okay..." he finally said unsurely, sliding his left hand back into his pocket. "Uh, thanks," he nodded, turning to look at Mr. Schuester to give him a confused smile.

Kurt couldn't understand what had happened. "Excuse me," he stated, raising his right arm up and pointing his index finger towards the ceiling. Everyone turned their heads to look at him. "Did you all not hear what he just said?" he asked, sounding even more confused than Dave had.

"Yeah, we heard him," Mercedes replied nonchalantly, nodding. "We think it's great," she smiled, shrugging lightly.

Kurt's mouth dropped a little bit more, as he was still expecting a better reaction from everyone else that hadn't known. "Um, that's it?" he asked after another few moments of awkward silence. "That's all that you're going to say?" he looked around towards everyone.

"I agree with Kurt," Rachel added, sounding concerned. "I mean... come on, guys. You could be a bit more enthusiastic than that for Dave," she nodded briefly.

"Why does it seem like _you_ two knew already?" Lauren asked, from the top right corner, looking towards both Rachel and Kurt.

Quinn scoffed. "Because they did... and so did I," she glanced around towards everyone, narrowing her eyes. "We could say the same thing for all of _you_, though."

"Wait..." Dave interrupted, where his eyebrows furrowed together. "Who knew already?"

Slowly, people began to raise their hands. The only problem with this was that it ended up being everyone in the room, after a few moments... besides Mr. Schue, of course.

Dave's mouth was open, though it seemed as if he was unable to say anything. Finally, he let out a huff that just came out like he was really pissed off. He shook his head, glancing between Quinn, Santana, Finn, Rachel, and Kurt. "Did one of you tell them?"

Kurt thought that his eyes were probably as wide as they could possibly get, at this point. He was honestly afraid that everyone was about to see Dave snap... or maybe even something worse. He immediately began shaking his head furiously, though there was no way that he could get any words out, at that moment.

Dave nodded briefly, then turned his head slightly to look at Quinn.

"Nope," she simply stated, crossing her arms over her stomach.

Looking towards Rachel, she seemed to be taken aback. "David, I would never do that," she replied.

"I wouldn't either, dude... no way," Finn added.

After another few moments, everyone seemed to turn to look at Santana, who was sitting in the middle of everyone, with her legs crossed. It was funny to Kurt, in a way, because it was quite obvious that it had been her, simply by her body language. It wasn't often that they all saw Santana looking uncomfortable, but this was definitely one of those times. She, normally, would have been one of the first people to speak up in a situation like this... or any situation at all, for that matter. But now... she was just sitting there, wide-eyed, unable to make eye contact with anyone.

Dave just continued to stare at her with a tense expression, where he took a deep breath without looking away. "Santana?" he asked calmly, though it just seemed to make her even more uncomfortable as she shifted in her chair.

"What?" she shrugged awkwardly, attempting to act as if she was saying that it had nothing to do with her.

Dave smirked. "It was you, right?" he nodded once.

Santana crossed her arms, pursing her lips together. "Um, no... why would I do that?" she asked, still doing a horrible job at denying the accusation.

Dave huffed in amusement, glancing down to the floor momentarily, as he began to shake his head. "How did you guys find out?" he looked around towards everyone.

Slowly, Brittany raised her right hand up nervously.

"Britt!" Santana shouted, though one could wonder whether she had done that to try and act as if it was all Brittany's fault... or whether she was afraid that Brittany was about to say that she had heard it from Santana, herself.

"I'm sorry," Brittany shrugged lightly, turning a little towards Santana in her chair. "All you said was that he was happy, and I didn't think that it was a big deal if I told anyone, and then before I knew it..." she shrugged again, "everybody knew."

Santana rolled her eyes, crossing her arms once again, as she scoffed in irritation. Though, just like before, she seemed to be completely speechless for the first time in a long time.

Dave continued staring at her, crossing his own arms, as he still smirked. To be quite honest, he looked a little scary, at this point. "So... you didn't tell anybody, huh?" he asked sarcastically.

It took all but a few seconds before Santana busted out into a rant. "Okay, fine!" she shouted, shaking her head. "I did it... but it was an _accident_," she nodded towards him firmly. "I wasn't going around telling everyone like it was _my_ business to tell," she rolled her eyes. "We were arguing on the phone because you were just sitting there complaining- like you've been doing _a lot_ lately, I might add- and I forgot that Brittany was around and I said it to you. Next thing I know, she's asking me about it and I freaked out and just told her about how people from... the 60s or whatever, used to say gay instead of happy. And then I told her that that's what I meant, but that she shouldn't be going around telling everyone."

Now, Everyone was just staring at her with at least one of their eyebrows raised.

"_Obviously_," Santana continued, glancing over towards Brittany, with an annoyed look on her face, "that didn't work very well because now everybody knows before you were able to tell them yourself. And now, I just feel like crap and I don't know what else I can say to you," she shrugged. "I didn't mean to do it and it was an accident. But I'm sorry."

It was quite strange to hear those words coming out of Santana's mouth. Not that she had never felt sorry about something that she had done in the past, but she certainly wasn't the type to apologize to someone in front of everyone. This just left everyone looking a little more shocked and confused.

Santana, clearly, realized that everyone was probably thinking the exact same thing. "Okay, so I can't remember the last time that I've said that to anyone in front of all of you, and I'm sure that most of you think that I'm lying, but I'm not," she shook her head once more. "I'm sorry," she stated firmly, but sincerely. She finally relaxed back against her chair, crossing her arms again.

There was complete silence in the room for a few moments. Mr. Schuester probably should have intervened during this situation a long time ago, but he still just stood next to Dave at the front of the room, looking as if he didn't have a clue as to what he could possibly say.

Taking another deep breath, Dave's smirk widened. "You done?" he asked calmly.

Santana shrugged lightly, nodding her head unsurely. "Yeah," she replied in her usual, irritated tone.

After another few moments, Dave slowly began to nod as well. "It's cool," he shrugged.

Santana's eyes narrowed immediately, as her mouth dropped open a bit. "_What_?" she asked dramatically.

"It's fine," Dave nodded again, smiling. "Apology accepted," he simply stated.

"Just like that?" Santana asked, clearly confused and surprised.

"Yep," Dave replied, nodding once more.

Kurt was just looking back and forth between the two of them, not understanding anything that had just happened. He eventually looked towards a few of the other members of New Directions, noticing that most were snickering, with their hands covering their mouths.

The only other people who still seemed to be completely confused were Rachel and Mr. Schuester.

Santana's expression relaxed, though her eyes remained wide. She obviously didn't know what had just gone on, though she definitely wasn't about to argue. "Okay..." she stated unsurely.

Slowly, almost everyone began turning slightly in their chairs to stare right back at her again.

She glanced around, where her eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "_What_?" she finally asked, after a few more moments of silence.

Artie cleared his throat, glancing down towards the floor momentarily before looking at her with a grin. "You do realize that pretty much all of us were in on that _just_ so that we could see you freak out for a little bit, right?"

Almost everyone in the room began to laugh lightly. Santana quickly understood what had just happened.

Everybody had been in on it... well, everyone besides Kurt, Rachel, and Mr. Schuester, it seemed. Kurt wasn't sure as to why he hadn't heard about what was going to happen before it did, but he definitely found the humor in the situation. It wasn't often that Santana appeared uncomfortable or apologetic... though, none of them, besides Dave and Brittany, knew of the correct reason as to why she had kind of freaked out.

Santana's face tensed up as almost everyone continued laughing, where she eventually rolled her eyes and stared straight towards the dry erase board. "I hate you all," she simply said, shaking her head.

"That's okay," Brittany smiled, patting the top of one of her hands. "We still love you," she laughed.

Santana continued to shake her head, though her expression soon changed into a smile as she, also, began to laugh. "You're an ass, you know that?" she nodded at Dave.

"Yeah, well," Dave smiled, as he shrugged slightly and raised one of his eyebrows again. "I had to do it," he laughed.

Rachel turned to Finn, looking at him in disbelief. "Why didn't I know about this?"

Finn immediately stopped laughing, glancing towards her, as he attempted to look sympathetic. "Uh, it was... just a last minute kind of thing," he motioned towards Dave with his left hand.

Mercedes huffed in amusement, gaining everyone's attention. "I think we all need to remember something... once a rumor gets started in here, it's definitely gonna get around to everybody eventually," she laughed.

Almost everyone started laughing or agreeing with her. Even Rachel was grinning at this point, shaking her head when looking right at Dave.

"_Okay_," Mr. Schuester finally interrupted. "I don't get you guys, but..." he laughed, though he was still a little confused, "we do need to get back to work!" He quickly patted Dave on the shoulder once again.

"Sorry, Mr. Schue," Dave laughed. "I, uh... I still meant what I said to you guys, though," he nodded. "Thank you. Really. And I know that I've already talked to most of you about this, but uh..." he glanced down towards the floor, where his expression grew more serious.

He swallowed hard, finally looking back up. "I'm still not ready for _them_," he gestured towards one of the closed doors, "to know right now, so... hopefully we can do a better job at keeping it quiet, you know?" he smiled.

Everybody knew that Dave had meant the rest of the school, and just knowing that he trusted them enough to let them know the truth meant a lot... even if it hadn't been his own decision. Now over the fact that she hadn't been filled in on the details of the previous situation, Rachel was the first to speak up.

"Dave..." she quickly glanced around towards everyone, smiling wide. "I think I can speak for everybody when I say that we definitely will," she nodded. "And we're all really proud of you."

Dave smiled back at her, nodding. He looked around the room again, seeing just about everyone else doing the same. It was such a great feeling to finally have everything out and in the open. Things were so different now than they used to be... so much better... and he wouldn't ever want that to change again.

Kurt kept his gaze on Dave, feeling like he never wanted to look away. For a moment, it was as if he forgot everything that had happened between them... and he was just feeling that sensation, once again, that he had previously felt whenever he'd been around Dave. It was the butterflies in the stomach feeling, which just caused him to keep on smiling.

Dave eventually looked at Kurt, nodding once, before he glanced away quickly and cleared his throat nervously. "Thanks guys," he smiled again. "I appreciate it." He started walking over towards the far right, sitting down next to Tina, who nudged his ribs slightly with her elbow. He smiled at her, glancing behind himself slightly when Quinn had leaned forward to rest her hands on his shoulders.

Kurt couldn't help but continue to look over to Dave from the other side of the room. He still felt scared about everything... yet, seeing him now, Kurt felt like he really needed to talk to Dave, to tell him what was going on, as soon as possible...

* * *

><p>Kurt quietly approached Dave, who was standing at his opened locker putting a few textbooks away. He still felt nervous, especially since they hadn't really talked lately, but he knew that he didn't want to keep avoiding Dave anymore.<p>

He wanted to tell him the truth... About the breakup. About his feelings. About his fears...

About what he was still trying to figure out.

"Hi," he said softly.

Dave turned his head to the left to see Kurt, where he glanced over his face for a moment, before a small smile formed. "Hey," he replied back quietly.

Kurt looked down towards the floor momentarily, clearing his throat. "How are you doing?"

Dave closed his locker, turning his body more to face Kurt. "I'm okay," he nodded briefly. "How about you?"

"I'm okay," Kurt responded.

They both looked away from each other nervously, as they both weren't sure of what to say. Of course, it was still awkward... but only Kurt knew that he was able to fix that between them.

Dave lifted his right hand up, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, um..." Kurt finally glanced back at Dave. "I thought that what you did to Santana the other day was funny," he smiled again. "_Mean_," he nodded, as he began to laugh, "but funny."

"Yeah, well," Dave laughed lightly. "She deserved it," he shrugged.

With Dave looking right back at him, Kurt seemed to forget about everything else that he had wanted to say. He just felt like he was getting lost in Dave's eyes, and he wasn't sure of what he could do to bring himself back.

Dave's own smile diminished, where he looked away, as if the way Kurt had been looking at him had just made him uncomfortable and... sad.

Kurt, of course, noticed this, but he honestly couldn't blame Dave for that... not after everything that had happened.

"Still though," Kurt finally continued. "I thought you, um... handled everything really well," he nodded once more.

"Thanks," Dave smiled again, though only for a moment.

Kurt cleared his throat. "I'm just surprised that I didn't hear about what was going on before it happened, but... whatever," he laughed.

"Oh," Dave shrugged, sliding both of his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I don't know," he shook his head. "I pretty much found out that everybody had already heard the day _before_ from Finn... and then I just kind of told him what I was gonna do that day, and I don't know," he shrugged again. "I guess word got around to almost everybody beforehand, but... yeah."

Kurt thought that Finn probably never mentioned what was going on because he had kept bugging Kurt about his breakup with Blaine. He honestly thought that Kurt was completely heartbroken, and that he was just pretending to be okay. It made sense, in a way- but Kurt definitely would've appreciated a heads-up.

"Well," Kurt smiled, "it was great."

Dave nodded quickly, swallowing once. "Yeah."

Kurt knew that it was now or never... and he definitely didn't want it to be never. He took a deep breath, as a sympathetic expression instantly came to his face. "So, um... I'm really sorry that things got so messed up..." he nodded. "I just... I was just confused and scared and-"

"It's not your fault," Dave interrupted, though he was just smiling sadly. "You don't need to be sorry," he shook his head.

"But I am..." Kurt replied, feeling his throat tightening up. He took a few moments before speaking again. "I miss talking to you," he whispered.

Dave glanced over Kurt's face a few more times, though he still seemed sad. He attempted to smile again, but it didn't really come off as one. "We can still talk, you know," he nodded.

"I know," Kurt said, "I just mean..." he glanced back down towards the floor momentarily, telling himself to just let Dave know the truth. "I just miss how it used to be."

"Me too," Dave responded, only to look away again, as if he was having a hard time talking about all of this with Kurt.

Kurt took another deep breath, bringing his hands together to rub them nervously. "Do you, um... do you think that we could-"

"Kurt," Dave interrupted once more, shaking his head. He looked down towards the floor, licking his upper lip once, before glancing back up. "I'm sorry, I... I just can't talk to you about this right now, okay?"

_Oh_.

"Okay," Kurt attempted to smile, nodding briefly.

_Tell him_, Kurt told himself. _Just tell him..._

Kurt cleared his throat once more, scratching the side of his neck with his right hand, even though it didn't itch. He just didn't know what he was doing and he felt like trying to tell Dave all of the things that he wanted to say in the middle of the hallway was probably a bad idea.

"Are you, um," Kurt finally spoke again, "are you thinking about going to prom?"

While Kurt had stated many times since their Junior prom that there was no way he'd ever be going to their Senior prom, he had actually been talked into going by Mercedes, especially since a big group of them were planning on going together. Plus, it was the last dance before they'd all be leaving each other.

Dave raised one of his eyebrows, shaking his head briefly. "No... Why? Are you?"

Kurt shrugged. "I wasn't planning on it, but... Mercedes kind of talked me into it. You know, it's the last big thing before graduation, so..."

"Yeah," Dave nodded, attempting to smile again.

"But, um," Kurt glanced around the hallway momentarily, "there's a bunch of us that are planning on going together," he smiled back. "I'd love it if you came, too," he nodded.

Kurt knew that it was short notice, especially since prom was happening that Saturday night- though he, himself, hadn't agreed to go until just recently.

Dave brought his left hand up, rubbing his forehead. "Um... nah, that's okay. I, uh... just bad memories from last year, I guess," he laughed, though it came out fake. "I... I don't know. Thanks, though," he nodded as well.

Kurt looked down towards his hands, knowing that he wasn't doing a very good job at what he had come over to do. _So... Blaine and I broke up... just say that_, he encouraged himself. When he realized that he had less than a minute before they'd both have to get to their next class, he just decided to ask Dave if they could talk later.

"Dave... do you think that we could-"

"What's up, losers?" a random jock asked them, as he walked by.

Kurt turned his head slightly, rolling his eyes, only to look back to see Dave shaking his head.

"I can't wait to get out of here," he smirked, huffing in amusement.

Honestly, the things people would yell out at them were seriously getting old... but everybody in glee club was pretty much used to it by now. Even Dave.

Kurt laughed lightly, nodding. "Yeah, me too."

"So... what were you saying?" Dave asked, with a small smile returning to his face.

_Say something_.

"I, uh," Kurt began awkwardly, which just made him even more nervous... "It... it doesn't matter," he eventually said, smiling, as he shook his head briefly.

_What are you doing?_

Dave continued smiling, glancing over Kurt's face a few more times, before he began to nod back.

The warning bell rang, where a lot of the other students in the hallway began walking towards their next class.

"Anyways," both of Dave's eyebrows shot up for a moment, "um... I gotta go, so," he nodded again.

"Okay," Kurt replied quietly, clearly sounding disappointed with himself.

_What is wrong with you? Just say something_.

"Okay," Dave cleared his throat, glancing over towards the lockers on one side of the hallway for a second, before looking back. "If I, uh... if I don't talk to you before prom..." he paused for a few moments, gazing right at Kurt. "I hope you have a good time," he smiled sadly again.

Kurt smiled back, though he couldn't even open his mouth to reply. He wanted to say something now more than ever... but he just couldn't.

Dave waited another moment, before he nodded once again, and turned around to walk down the hallway towards his class.

_Quick, say something..._

Kurt's smile disappeared quickly, where his expression turned sad. He was mad at himself... and he just felt so stupid for not being able to tell Dave anything. He wasn't even able to ask him if they could talk later, when they both wouldn't be out in the middle of the hallway. He closed his eyes, shaking his head in irritation, as he took a deep breath.

This definitely didn't go the way that he had planned.


	22. Chapter 22

Prom night had arrived, and almost everyone was excitedly getting ready for the big event. But while others were mainly focused on dresses, suits, shoes, or corsages... Kurt Hummel was focused on something completely different.

_Dave Karofsky_.

Kurt was in his room, standing before his full-length mirror, glancing down over the suit that he had decided to wear. He wasn't wearing a kilt this time, compared to last year, but that was his own decision- and it honestly had nothing to do with any of the comments that he had previously received from Blaine or his dad.

He knew that he should be excited and looking forward to the night with his friends, especially since it was the last big event before most of them would be graduating. But... he didn't feel that way at all.

Kurt stared back at himself, as he attempted to smile, though... it just came off sad. He looked down towards his feet, closing his eyes, as he took a deep breath.

_It's not supposed to be like this_.

"Hey, kiddo," Burt said from the other side of the room, as he leaned against the open doorway.

Kurt quickly looked over towards his dad, noticing that Burt was smiling softly at him. "Hey, dad," he smiled back, though he knew that it probably just look forced.

Burt's expression turned slightly concerned as he took a few steps into the room, crossing his arms over his stomach. "You okay?"

"Yeah," Kurt nodded, though he knew his own expression probably said otherwise. He paused for a moment, swallowing once. "I'm fine."

Clearly, Burt did not believe him as he walked over to be a little closer, reaching his right arm out and setting his hand on Kurt's shoulder. "You wanna tell me about it?"

Kurt glanced down towards the floor, shaking his head, as he felt that he just couldn't look right back into his dad's eyes. "I don't know..." he whispered, where he felt his throat tightening up. "I just..."

He wanted to be able to talk to his dad about everything that had been going on with Dave, but... he still just felt so scared as to what Burt's reaction would be.

"Hey," Burt lowered his right hand slightly, rubbing Kurt's back. "Come here," he wrapped his other arm around his son, pulling him in for a hug.

Kurt hugged back immediately. If there was one thing that always made him feel better, it was getting a hug from his dad.

They held onto each other for a few moments, before Burt lightly patted Kurt's back a few times with his right hand, before pulling away.

Kurt smiled weakly, "I'm sorry," he huffed.

"It's okay," Burt nodded. He licked his upper lip, raising his baseball cap a little bit to wipe his forehead, before he looked right back at Kurt. "A few weeks ago, I probably would've asked you if this was about Blaine, but... it's not, is it?" he shook his head.

Kurt glanced over his father's face for a moment, wondering if he should actually lie or not. But... he was just so tired of being afraid of mentioning Dave in front of his dad, so he slowly began to shake his head. "No," he murmured.

Burt nodded again, blinking a few times, as he thought over what could possibly be bothering his son. His eyes narrowed slightly, as he looked right back at Kurt. "So... what's going on?"

Kurt took a deep breath, taking a quick look over to his bed to focus on, as he thought over how he could possibly respond. There was too much to say... "A lot," he huffed once more, attempting to smile. He was instantly disappointed that that's all that he could say.

Burt's eyebrows furrowed together, where his lips pursed, as he started to nod again. "And _all_ of it is making you this upset?" he cocked his head to the side a little, raising one of his eyebrows.

Kurt looked down towards his feet, feeling like his throat was tightening up even more than before. He honestly felt like crying because he had been keeping everything in for so long now... especially since he still hadn't really talked to Dave. Without looking back up, Kurt began to shake his head briefly. "No," he whispered.

Burt glanced over towards Kurt's full-length mirror, seeing his son's reflection in it. He looked up and down at the suit quickly, turning back, before shrugging. "Are you changing your mind about going tonight?"

His dad was a little cautious about him going to the prom tonight- especially after what had happened last year. But Burt definitely knew that Kurt shouldn't let what happened allow him to avoid anything with his friends... especially right before graduation.

Kurt smiled softly, shrugging back. "I feel like staying home and staying in bed but..." he began shaking his head for a moment. "No, I'm still going to go," he nodded.

"So..." Burt raised one of his eyebrows again, clearing his throat. "Why are you keeping something from me?"

Burt could clearly tell that Kurt was avoiding the actual answer to his question, and he definitely wasn't the type of father to just ignore that his son was upset about something.

Kurt's smile grew a little more, though he still felt sad about everything that had been going on. "Why are you so interested?" he joked.

"Well..." Burt stated firmly, "I'm kind of supposed to be," he nodded. "I'm your dad." He smiled, glancing over Kurt's face a few more times before speaking again. "So... tell me."

Kurt walked over to his full-length mirror, standing in front of it, as he stared right back at himself. He knew what he wanted to say to his dad, but he felt like he wouldn't be able to look at him right in the face when saying everything.

"I've just been..." Kurt began, glancing down towards the carpet momentarily. He took a deep breath, looking back up. "I've just been really confused about something for awhile now... and it's just been scaring me and..." he let out a loud breath, shaking his head. "I'm sorry," he turned back around to face Burt. "I haven't talked to a lot of people about this, so... it's just hard."

"Okay, uh..." Burt nodded, cocking his head to the side once again. He licked his lip, where his eyes narrowed, as he still didn't know exactly what was bothering his son. "You're gonna have to give me a little bit more than that," he smiled softly.

"Dad..." Kurt replied in a disappointed tone, glancing back down towards the carpet, as he shook his head once more. "It's fine," he shrugged. "Just... forget about it."

Burt scoffed, shaking his own head. "Kurt, come on," he paused for a few moments. "Look, I know that something's been bugging you for a few weeks now... just tell me what's up," he pleaded.

"I..." Kurt began, swallowing hard. He was afraid of what his dad was going to say, but he just knew that he wasn't going to be able to keep it in any longer. "I don't want you to be disappointed in me, but..." he stated quietly, as his voice was straining. "It's about Dave."

Burt kept his gaze on Kurt, though his expression did not change at all. He slowly began to nod, where he eventually shrugged slightly. "Well... what about him?"

That wasn't the exact response Kurt was expecting to hear, but he knew that he needed to say much more than that for his dad to understand.

He shook his head again, looking over towards his bed, as he crossed his own arms over his stomach. "We just... haven't really been talking for awhile."

Burt's eyes narrowed a bit more, where it seemed like his expression tensed up, though he still spoke calmly. "Did he do something to you?"

"No..." Kurt responded immediately, shaking his head once more. He closed his eyes momentarily, though he knew he couldn't stall any longer. "I did something..."

Burt's expression relaxed, as he swallowed once. He brought his right hand up and rubbed the back of his neck, blinking quite a few times, as he looked down towards the carpet. "Is that why you and Blaine broke up?"

Kurt paused for a few moments, unsure of what to say. After another few seconds, he shrugged slightly. "Yes and no," he answered quietly. "It would've happened eventually, anyways, so..." he trailed off.

Burt nodded briefly, raising his right hand back up to rub his chin. He then slid both of his hands into the pockets of his jeans, raising one of his eyebrows at Kurt. "Do you, uh..." he shrugged. "Do you like Dave?"

Kurt just stared back at his father for a few moments, clearly surprised that his dad had just flat out asked him like that, so calmly. He knew what his answer was to the question, but he was still afraid that Burt's reaction wouldn't be a good one.

Even so, he knew that wasn't going to be able to lie to his dad now.

"Yes," Kurt whispered, nodding slowly.

Burt glanced over Kurt's face a few times, as he slowly began to nod back. He slid his hands out of his pockets, as he took a few steps forward, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "So... _why_ haven't you two been talking then?"

Kurt's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. He was still very surprised as to why Burt was reacting so calmly... especially after everything that had happened last year between him and Dave.

Kurt eventually shrugged slightly, though he knew he still had a completely confused expression on his face. "I was still with Blaine and..." he began, looking away momentarily. "We both just decided that maybe it'd be better if we didn't see each other as much, but... now I'm not with Blaine and..." he trailed off.

He wanted to say much more about his feelings for Dave, yet he was still worried about what his dad's response was going to be like.

"So..." Burt leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms on the top of his thighs, as he clasped his hands together. "He doesn't really know how you feel now then?" he cocked his head to the side, raising one of his eyebrows once again. "Why don't you just tell him?" he shrugged.

Kurt figured that his eyebrows were as wrinkled as they could get, at this point. "Are you trying to encourage me to?" he asked in disbelief.

Burt glanced down towards the carpet, shaking his head briefly, before looking back up towards his son. "Kurt... I'm not telling you how to live your life. Those are your decisions to make," he nodded. "If you really like this guy and you know that he feels the same way about you, then... hey... you gotta do what you gotta do," he paused for a moment. "Especially if you know that it's gonna make _you_ happy."

Kurt felt his eyes tearing up, as his throat was tightening up once again. He honestly had not expected Burt to react like this... and he definitely wasn't expecting any sort of advice that would encourage him to do what he felt was the right thing to do.

"How can you even be okay with this?" Kurt asked roughly, as his voice was still strained. "Even after everything that happened last year?"

Burt sighed, looking down towards his hands momentarily, as he started to nod again. "I'm gonna be honest with you about something... now, obviously, the situation was a little different, but..." he smiled softly at his son. "The past few times that I've talked to Dave over the past year... I kind of saw myself in him a little bit," he shrugged.

Kurt tried to blink a few of his tears away, where his eyebrows wrinkled slightly. He wasn't exactly sure of what his dad had meant by that.

"I mean... you know, I made a bunch of mistakes when I was around his age," Burt continued. "I wasn't really sure of what I was supposed to do at times, and... I was pretty lost for a long time. But then..." he shrugged, smiling. "I met your mom... and she... she changed my world," he paused for a few moments. "She helped me more than anybody ever had before and turned me back around again... just like you've been doing for Dave."

Kurt just continued staring at his father, as he had no idea of what to say. He had never expected Burt to be making a comparison between his situation with Dave and how his dad felt about his mom.

"I'm not gonna lie to you and say that I'm one hundred percent okay with him right now, but..." Burt continued, shaking his head briefly. "I saw how he was with you the last time he was over here," he nodded, waiting a little bit before speaking again. "He needs you, Kurt... just like I needed your mom," he stated quietly. "Now, I'm not saying that I think you should go ahead and date him because that's _your_ own choice, but... he definitely still needs you to be his friend."

Kurt opened his mouth slightly, as if he was trying to say something back to his dad, but... nothing would come out. He finally felt a tear fall from one of his eyes, sliding down his cheek slowly. He quickly raised his right hand up, rubbing it away with one of his knuckles.

Burt stared at his son intently, where it seemed as if he completely understood how Kurt was feeling, even through there had been silence between them. "You're thinking that you might want more than that with him, right?" he asked simply.

Kurt sniffed once, as he swallowed hard. He glanced down towards the carpet, trying to think of the correct way to explain his feelings about Dave. "I guess you could just say that my head is saying one thing..." he looked back up, as another tear fell, "while my heart is saying something else."

Burt smiled softly, never looking away from his son. "Go with your heart..." he nodded, pausing for a few moments. "And don't worry about anything else."

He knew his dad was right, but... he still felt scared. "I..." Kurt began, finding it difficult to finally admit the truth to himself and to his dad. "I feel like I'm falling for him..."

Burt nodded slowly, though he was still smiling. "It's okay if you are."

Kurt sniffed again, shrugging lightly. "Even after everything that happened?"

Standing up from the bed, Burt took a few steps towards his son, until he was standing right in front of him. "Kurt..." he shook his head briefly, "falling for Dave after everything doesn't mean that it's wrong..." he stated firmly.

"All it does... is show how big of a heart you really have," Burt continued, nodding. "It shows that you believe in forgiveness."

Kurt kept his gaze on his dad, where he felt a small smile come to his face, even through his tears. Slowly, he began to nod back, silently thanking his father for everything that he had said.

Burt smiled softly, sliding both of his hands back into the pockets of his jeans. "Is he gonna be there tonight?"

Kurt's smile diminished, as he looked down towards the carpet once more and shook his head. "No..." he murmured.

"Well... try not to worry about it for now" Burt shrugged, smiling wider. He huffed slightly, raising his right arm out to pat his son on the back with his hand. "Go. Have a good time. And then... deal with it tomorrow," he nodded.

Kurt smiled once again, immediately raising his arms up to pull his dad in for a hug.

Burt hugged back quickly, waiting a few moments, before he pulled away.

"Thanks, Dad," Kurt smiled.

Burt smiled back, nodding once, before he made his way towards the door. He stopped all of a sudden, turning back around slightly, as he glanced over Kurt's suit one more time. "You look great, by the way," he paused for a moment, before walking out of the room.

Kurt turned towards his mirror, staring right back at himself. He was smiling softly, but it soon faded, as he thought over the conversation with his dad. He had admitted everything and Burt had gave him some great advice, which was great, but...

He still needed to fix things... he still needed to talk to Dave.

* * *

><p>While everyone else had been spending their Saturday getting ready for prom night, Dave had been at home, sitting by himself in his room, playing video games. He didn't feel like he was missing out by not going to prom... but he still felt like crap because the whole day had just been reminding him of what had happened last year.<p>

After dinner, he didn't feel like sitting around anymore, so he told his parents that he was going to go out for a drive. He eventually decided to stop at the Lima Bean to get a coffee, though he didn't know that he'd end up running into someone that he definitely wasn't expecting to see there.

As he stood in line, Dave looked off towards the right near the edge of the waiting counter, noticing someone from behind that appeared to be in a Dalton uniform. He moved his head slightly forward, attempting to see the guy's face more, as he then realized that it was Blaine.

Blaine turned towards the counter, grabbing his coffee from the barista and thanking her, before he started to walk back towards the door. He did a double take towards Dave, stopping abruptly, once he realized who it was.

"Dave," he said in surprise, where both of his eyebrows shot up.

Dave got out of line and walked over to him. "Hey..." he stated, as a confused expression came to his face. His eyes narrowed slightly, where he cocked his head to the side. "What are you doing here?"

"Ah, I came all the way here just to get a cup of Lima's best coffee," Blaine joked, smirking. "I'm just kidding, of course. No, the Warblers got booked to perform at the Elks Lodge here in town, and I just thought I'd grab something before I head back home," he nodded.

Dave nodded back, clearing his throat, as he slid both of his hands into the pockets of his khaki cargos awkwardly. "Kurt didn't ask you to go to prom with him?"

Blaine's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "No, why would he?" He smirked, though it soon faded as he saw Dave's own confused expression. He huffed out a laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. "He still hasn't told you, has he?"

Dave's eyebrows furrowed together even more than before. "Told me what?"

Blaine glanced around the Lima Bean, shaking his head once again. He glanced down towards the floor momentarily, taking a deep breath. "Kurt and I broke up..." he nodded. "Quite a few weeks ago, actually."

Dave felt his mouth drop slightly, though he didn't have any idea as to what he could say. He was just as confused as ever. "What?"

* * *

><p>"Please don't tell me that you're going to be sitting at this table for the rest of the night," Mercedes stated, crossing her arms over her stomach, as she looked down towards Kurt.<p>

Kurt had made it to prom... and while he was having a good time at first, his thoughts kept going back to Dave. To be quite honest, he would've been fine with just forgetting about prom altogether, so that he could go find Dave to talk to him about everything. But then, he also knew that this was the last big event to spend with his friends before graduation.

It was funny, though, seeing as he had been sitting down at one of the tables by himself in the gymnasium, watching everyone on the dance floor. He had propped up his right elbow onto the table, letting his chin rest against his right palm.

He looked up towards Mercedes from his seat, raising one of his eyebrows. "I will not be sitting at this table for the rest of the night," he replied sarcastically. "I'll get up when I leave," he smirked.

Mercedes huffed in amusement, though she then shook her head in irritation. "That's not funny," she settled both of her hands onto her hips. "What is up with you?" she smiled wide, attempting to improve his mood. "Come dance with me, white boy!"

"'Cedes," Kurt sighed. "Thank you," he shook his head, "but I'm really not in the mood right now."

"Well, you need to get in the mood," she replied in her diva-like tone. "This is our last big thing that we all have together before we leave each other..." She reached out and grabbed his forearm that was supporting his head up, pulling lightly. "Come on!"

Kurt laughed lightly, shaking his head once again. "Maybe in a little while, okay?"

"Kurt!" she whined, before she started to shake her head. "Fine," she sighed. "Just sit there and look miserable then!"

"I shall, thank you," he smiled. "Go!" he waved her off. "Have fun. Don't worry about me!"

Mercedes shrugged. "Alright... if you say so..." she sounded disappointed, though she still walked away.

Kurt crossed his arms over his stomach, glancing down towards the top of the table, as a sad expression formed.

* * *

><p><em>Back at the Lima Bean<em>... Dave and Blaine were now sitting down at one of the tables, where Dave just looked even more confused than before.

"I'm sorry that he hadn't even told you that we broke up yet," Blaine stated, shaking his head in disbelief. "I'm surprised, to be honest. He told me awhile back that he already did, but... I don't know," he shrugged.

Kurt had, in fact, told Blaine that he had asked Dave to give him a little bit of time to figure things out. This, of course, had all been a lie...

"Yeah," Dave nodded briefly. "Um... I'm sorry that it, uh... didn't work out for you guys."

Blaine's eyebrows shot up for a moment. "Oh, it's okay. Thanks, though," he paused. "Honestly... it hadn't really be working for a little while. It just... wasn't really what we thought it was, I guess." He cocked his head to the side slightly. "Let's just say that we're much better off being friends."

Dave looked down towards his own coffee cup, sliding it back and forth between his hands. His expression was now more blank than confused, though he was completely unsure as to why Kurt hadn't said anything to him about his breakup with Blaine.

Blaine glanced over Dave's face a few times, before he sighed lightly. "You guys still haven't talked, have you?"

Dave looked back up, where the confused expression came back instantly. "He told you we weren't talking?"

"He told me that, yeah..." Blaine nodded briefly, smiling sadly. "He told me quite a bit, actually..."

One of Dave's eyebrows shot up momentarily, where he cleared his throat. He brought his right hand up and rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little uncomfortable about whatever Kurt may have told Blaine. "He was trying to talk to me the other day, but..." he shrugged, "I don't know."

Blaine stared at Dave intently, where a curious expression then formed on his face. "Why aren't you at prom?"

"Me?" Dave asked, though he immediately knew that it was a dumb reply. He took a deep breath, shaking his head. "I... I didn't wanna go. I just didn't really wanna be reminded of last year, to be honest," he shrugged.

"Well," Blaine began, "I hope you don't mind me asking, but... for _you_... what was so bad about last year?" He wasn't asking because he was trying to be a jerk or because he didn't know- he was asking because he wanted to make a point.

Dave's eyebrows furrowed together, as he thought that the answer was quite obvious... though, he decided to reply anyways.

"I, uh..." he swallowed nervously, "well, I was only out to two people then," he paused, realizing that Blaine had known about him, too. "Three, I guess... including you," he gestured towards Blaine. "I was still dealing with..." he huffed, "a whole lot. And I was so paranoid that people would find out about me... and I was doing whatever I could to hide it."

It felt strange opening up to Blaine, especially since he was now Kurt's ex and he barely knew him. But... things just seemed different now compared to how they used to be... and that went for practically everything else in Dave's life as well.

"And then when all of that stuff went down with Kurt when somebody rigged the votes..." Dave continued, "I just sat there and did nothing." He shook his head in disappointment towards himself. "I mean... I couldn't even dance with him because I was afraid of what everybody was gonna say or think about me," he shrugged lightly. "And then I just ran out of there like a loser..." he paused for a few moments, glancing down towards his coffee cup. "I just felt like crap."

Blaine looked away momentarily, where he smiled softly and began nodding slowly. "Okay, well... what's different now?" he raised an eyebrow.

Dave looked back at him with a confused expression again. "Um... a lot?" he paused. "A bunch of people know about me now and... they don't care," he shrugged. "My parents know and they're okay with it... And I'm not as paranoid to talk about it, which is... good... I don't know," he shrugged once again. "I... I guess I have some great friends now and... I just feel better about pretty much everything."

"And who's the one person that's been there with you through all of it?" Blaine asked immediately.

All Dave could do was stare back at him. It was Kurt. He knew it was Kurt. His mouth was slightly open, where he was about to answer, but... he just couldn't.

It was strange talking about his own life and his own feelings towards certain things to someone he didn't know very well. But talking about Kurt to his ex-boyfriend... that was just something completely different.

"Look," Blaine huffed, leaning forwards slightly towards the table. "I've talked to you both now, and... I don't know everything that you two have said to each other, but..." he paused for a moment, licking his bottom lip. "It just seems like you both need a bit of a push here."

Dave's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion once again. "What do you mean?"

Blaine took a sip from his coffee cup, setting it back down onto the table, as he cocked his head to the side. "You have feelings for him, right?" he smirked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

Dave wasn't sure of what to say, though he ended up nodding slightly.

"And he has feelings for _you_," Blaine continued.

While Dave knew that, he wasn't completely sure of how Kurt _really_ felt about him.

Blaine was still smirking, where he rolled his eyes with a quick shake of his head. "And yet, Kurt's at prom by himself right now... while you're in a coffee shop talking to me," he looked towards Dave with an amused expression. "I don't know about you, but... it doesn't make much sense."

Dave thought he finally understood what Blaine was getting at, though he didn't quite understand why Blaine thought that Kurt felt the same way that he did. He knew how _he_ felt about Kurt. He knew what _he_ wanted with him. But...

"If he really wanted the same thing that I do," Dave shook his head slightly, "then why wouldn't he have told me about you and him breaking up?"

Blaine just laughed lightly, taking another sip of his coffee. "Dave... when's the last time that you two have actually _talked_ to each other?"

Dave glanced over to his left, towards the front register, not wanting to reply nor think about the last real conversation that he had with Kurt in the auditorium.

"And what was that conversation like?" Blaine continued, shrugging slightly. The expression on his face seemed to say that the answer to Dave's question was quite obvious. "Do you really think that it'd be easy for you to go up to somebody after all _that..._ to tell them how you were feeling?"

Dave looked down towards the table, not sure of how to answer.

He got it now.

Kurt wasn't avoiding him because he didn't want to see him or talk to him. He was avoiding him because he probably didn't even know what he could say after everything that had gone on between them.

Dave eventually shrugged slightly, though he still wasn't able to look back up. "I don't know," he whispered.

Blaine pushed his coffee cup back and forth between his hands, where he let out a sigh. "Kurt's scared."

Dave immediately glanced back up towards Blaine, with a sad expression on his face.

"Not of _you_," Blaine continued. "Not of a _relationship_ with you," he shook his head, pausing for a few moments. "But he's scared because of what might come _by_ being with you."

Dave shook his head slowly, not completely understanding what Blaine had meant by that.

Blaine looked down towards the table, taking a deep breath, before glancing back. "He knows that you're still not out to everybody... but that's not what _really_ bothers him," he shook his own head.

"What _bothers_ him," he continued, "is that you guys went through a lot last year... and he knows that everybody _else_ knows that."

Dave just kept on staring at Blaine, where his sad expression did not change.

Blaine smiled sympathetically, as he began to nod. "I think he's just afraid for _you_."

Dave's eyebrows furrowed together, where he cocked his head to the side slightly. "What?" he asked, attempting to make sure that he understood correctly. "Like he's trying to protect me?"

"He might not have realized that himself yet, but... yes." Blaine nodded once more, still smiling.

Dave felt like everything made sense to him now... he _wasn't_ completely out to everyone yet. And while he knew that Kurt wouldn't force him to come out right away, Kurt probably knew that Dave wouldn't be able to handle making Kurt hide their relationship for long... maybe Kurt was just afraid that he'd end up pushing Dave too quickly on accident, meaning everyone would find out before Dave was ready.

And maybe it wasn't as if Kurt was unsure whether he wanted to be with Dave or not... maybe it was the fact that he didn't know if Dave would be able to handle the reactions from everyone around them... especially from those that knew what had gone on between them during their Junior year. Maybe Kurt _was_ trying to protect Dave.

Just as Dave never wanted to hurt or let Kurt get hurt ever again... maybe Kurt was doing the same thing for him.

Dave was focusing on the top of the table, thinking about everything that had happened in a completely different way.

"Trust me when I say that he feels the same about you as you do about him," Blaine stated, casually taking another sip from his coffee cup. "I think that he just needs to know that _you're_ ready."

Dave glanced over Blaine's face for a few moments, before he slowly began to nod.

Blaine shifted in his chair slightly. "Let me put it this way..." he began, setting both of his elbows on the top of the table, as he clasped his hands together. "Kurt's always been the one to go after the guy that he's liked... but," he smirked, pausing for a moment. "I think that he needs to be the one to be chased this time."

Slowly, a small smile formed on Dave's face, as he finally understood everything Blaine had been trying to tell him.

"You shouldn't be here right now," Blaine laughed, shaking his head. "And I think that you definitely know where you _should_ be."

Dave glanced back down towards his coffee cup momentarily, as he nodded briefly again.

Blaine cleared his throat, letting out a loud breath. "You need to go," he laughed lightly, gesturing towards the exit of the Lima Bean with his head.

Dave grinned, rubbing the back of his neck quickly, before he stood up from his chair. He stopped for a second, looking down towards Blaine, as he started to nod once more. "Thanks," he said sincerely.

Blaine smiled and nodded back once, only to turn his head slightly, as he watched Dave quickly walk out of the Lima Bean.


	23. Chapter 23

_Back at McKinley High_... Kurt was beginning to wonder why he was still at the prom. He had been sitting down practically ever since he got there, where he really was in no mood to socialize with anyone. Everything just seemed to be irritating him, in fact. Yes, his dad had encouraged him to go to have a good time with his friends, but... he wasn't having a good time. He wanted to be out on the dance floor with them all, especially since it seemed like they were having a lot of fun, but...

He just couldn't stop thinking about Dave. He wanted to talk to him. He wanted to see him. He wished so much that Dave would just be there right now, even if it was still awkward between them. But... he wasn't. And Kurt was just sitting by himself, wondering what he was going to do and how he was going to do it. He just felt miserable.

"Enjoying yourself?"

Kurt turned his head to the right and looked up, only to see Miss Rachel Berry standing by the empty chair next to him. She was smiling wide, as she usually did, but he could tell that she was trying to look sympathetic.

Kurt smiled back softly. "I always do," he lied, nodding.

Rachel's expression became more concerned, as she sat down next to him. "Are you okay?"

Slowly, Kurt turned his head back to her, raising an eyebrow.

"Well, I mean... I know that you're not since you've been sitting over here all night, but," she corrected herself. "I'm starting to feel depressed _for_ you," she shrugged.

"How unfortunate," Kurt responded nonchalantly.

Rachel sighed, leaning over a little closer to him. "What's going on with you?"

Kurt had been staring out onto the dance floor for the past few moments, where he still didn't look back her way as he replied. "You know what I realized?"

"What's that?" she asked quietly.

Kurt took a deep breath, where his expression seemed to become sad. "I don't know what I'm doing here."

He glanced back towards Rachel, where he smiled sadly. Their friendship had always been... interesting, to say the least. But he was honestly glad that he was able to say that she was his friend.

Rachel parted her lips, as her expression grew more concerned than before. "What's wrong?"

Kurt thought to himself for a few moments. He was so tired of having people ask him that question... and he was even more tired of lying about the answer. He knew it was obvious that everyone could tell that something was wrong, and while his answer for the past few weeks had consisted of complete silence or a simple shrug... he just didn't want to do that anymore.

He lowered his head slightly to look down at the top of the table, shaking his head. "It's Dave," he stated softly.

After a few seconds with a blank expression, Rachel's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "What about him?"

Moments later, she quickly seemed to put all of the pieces of the puzzle together...

Kurt and Dave had became good friends during the year. Dave had admitted that he was gay to her. Kurt and Dave, out of nowhere, stopped speaking to each other. Shortly thereafter, Kurt and Blaine broke up. And now... here Kurt was, telling her that he was upset because of Dave.

Her mouth had dropped, as she continued to just stare at Kurt, before she was finally able to say anything else. "Are you...?"

Kurt huffed, only to barely shrug. "Forget I said anything."

"Kurt..."

He glanced towards her, smiling sadly again, as he shrugged once more. "I'll be okay," he nodded. "I'm going to go get some air or... something," he stood up from his chair. "I'll be back." He walked towards the doors of the gymnasium to leave.

Rachel watched him until he was out of sight, where she felt someone come up and stand beside her. She looked up to see Finn with a confused expression.

"Is he okay?" he motioned towards the doors that Kurt had just walked out of.

Rachel sighed, shaking her head slowly. "I don't know..."

* * *

><p>It was the longest twenty minute drive of Dave Karofsky's life, but he had finally made it to McKinley High. He was worried that someone would stop him from getting inside, since he hadn't bought a prom ticket... but there was no one really watching the door, for whatever reason. He walked into the gymnasium, immediately glancing all around in an attempt to find Kurt. There were way too many people on the dance floor, so he decided to look around towards the tables first.<p>

He noticed more and more people glancing his way with confused expressions on their faces. He didn't blame them, really. He knew that he was sticking out like a sore thumb, especially since he was dressed in his khaki cargos, blue t-shirt, and a black zip sweater. But none of that mattered. He just needed to find Kurt.

Dave continued walking around, as he was beginning to look between the people on the dance floor. He was becoming more and more frustrated, until he finally heard someone call out his name from behind him.

"Dave?"

He turned around quickly, only to be greeted by the small group of Rachel, Finn, Mercedes, and her boyfriend.

Dave flashed them a fake smile, sliding his hands deep into his pockets. "Hey, guys."

Mercedes raised an eyebrow, as she glanced over him. "Okay, one... what are you doing here? And two... what are you wearing?"

He shrugged lightly, not really caring to reply to either of her questions. "Do you know where Kurt is?"

"He said that he needed to get some air," Rachel spoke up quickly, nodding towards Dave. "But... that was a little while ago," she sounded concerned. "I'm not sure where he is." She knew that something was definitely going on between Kurt and Dave now, and she was hoping that they could figure it out.

Dave glanced around again, taking a deep breath.

Mercedes crossed her arms. "I don't know if this has anything to do with you two not talking lately, but hopefully you can do something to cheer that boy up," she shook her head in irritation. "He's just been sitting down for the whole night so far."

"Are you sure that he's still here?" Dave asked quickly, as he became worried that he may have missed Kurt completely. "You don't think that he would've left, do you?"

Finn's eyebrows furrowed together, where he shook his own head. "No, I don't think so... we all came together."

Dave nodded briefly. "Thanks," he mumbled, as he walked away without saying anything else.

Slowly, Finn awkwardly turned his head towards Rachel, shrugging. "What's up with him?"

Rachel watched Dave for a moment, before she looked over. "I don't know," she replied quietly, looking just as concerned as ever.

* * *

><p>Kurt stood in the open doorway of the choir room, as he glanced around and thought back on a lot of the things that had happened there during the last three years. He smiled softly to himself, thinking back to sophomore year when he had first joined glee club. The original five's rendition of 'Sit Down, You're Rocking The Boat' really <em>was<em> crap, to be honest. But, over time, things changed... people came in, people left... and yet, they all ended up being kind of like a big family. This, of course, included the bickering and fighting that usually comes with a family, but the past three years were definitely memorable.

Knowing that graduation was only a few weeks away left a bittersweet feeling inside Kurt. He was so excited to move on to bigger and better things... but he knew what he'd be leaving behind. He knew that he'd only be performing with New Directions once more at Nationals before they all went their separate ways. Of course, they'd try and keep in touch, especially with the likes of Facebook and texting making it much more easier to communicate. But... it would never really be the same.

Kurt smiled one last time, taking one last look around the choir room, before he turned around and began to walk down the hallway slowly. He crossed his arms as he walked, looking around towards the lockers and the posters that hung on the walls. While there had been a lot of things that occurred in those hallways that he'd never like to relive ever again... he was definitely going to miss McKinley High.

He was going to miss the drama that was always present in Finn and Rachel's relationship. He was going to miss gossiping with Mercedes about practically anything and everything. He was going to miss Santana's bitchy attitude, though he knew that she definitely had a good side in there that he enjoyed seeing every now and then. He was going to miss Mr. Schue's horrible dance routines and his many vests. He was just going to miss so much...

Kurt stopped for a moment, right near Dave's locker. He took a few steps closer, reaching his right hand out to play with the lock. He thought back on the few times that he had talked with Dave, right there, during the past year. He remembered when he had first tried to encourage him to join glee club... and he remembered the few times where he had waited for Dave right there, so that Dave could walk him to class.

Turning his body slightly, Kurt leaned back against the lockers and smiled to himself once again. He knew that he had been lying to himself for so long. He had started liking Dave way back in the beginning of the year... long before he had finally admitted it to himself, at least. It wasn't a question of whether or not he wanted to be with Dave... he knew that he did. He just didn't feel like he'd be able to hide the fact that he was with him, especially if it was going to take Dave awhile longer to come out to everyone else.

It wasn't fair to Dave. Kurt couldn't expect him to just come out right away... and Kurt knew that. Dave needed to be ready. He needed to show Kurt that he was ready.

Kurt was just so afraid that Dave would end up doing something that he wasn't prepared for... and it just wasn't fair to him.

Sighing to himself, Kurt glanced down the hall to his left, where he heard the loud music coming from the gymnasium. He had been away from everyone for much longer than he had intended, so he decided that it would probably be a good idea to get back to the prom. He began walking slowly once more, repeating his dad's words to himself in his head. He knew that it was one of the last times that he'd get to spend with his friends... and he knew that he needed to really try to have a good time with them.

Kurt went around the corner, only to stop abruptly, once he saw who was standing there.

"David..." Kurt skipped a breath.

Dave's expression was tense, where he appeared to be breathing hard, as if he had just been running around. He didn't say anything, yet he kept his gaze right on Kurt.

Kurt immediately began to wonder if he had gone crazy and if he was just imagining that Dave was right there. He glanced over Dave's face for a few moments, attempting to read the expression that he saw there. He wanted to say something else... _anything_ else... but nothing seemed to come out.

Dave finally seemed to be able to catch his breath, though he still had yet to say anything. He licked his top lip once, as if he, too, had no idea of what to say.

Parting his lips slightly, Kurt's eyebrows wrinkled in confusion. "What are you doing here?" he finally let out quietly.

"I just..." Dave began, taking a few steps closer to Kurt. He had spent almost every single minute since he had left the Lima Bean thinking about what he would say to Kurt once he saw him. But now that Kurt was right in front of him... he seemed to forget everything. "I just ran into Blaine," he swallowed hard.

Kurt held his breath, as his eyes widened. He definitely wasn't expecting to hear that... and he had absolutely no idea of what he could even say now. He looked away towards the floor, taking in the fact that Dave knew. He knew about the break-up. He _knew_... and he had came all the way to McKinley to tell Kurt...

Dave paused for a few moments, before he slowly began to shake his head. "Why didn't you tell me?"

As his throat was tightening up, Kurt cleared it in an attempt to be able to speak properly. He felt tears building up, where he tried to blink them away, but... it was no use. He finally glanced back up, shrugging. "I don't know," he murmured, shaking his own head. "I didn't even know what to say to you."

Dave took a deep breath, where he seemed to relax a little bit. He turned his head to the right, towards the door to a classroom that was there, as he tried to remember everything that he had wanted to say. He slid both of his hands into the pockets of his khaki cargos awkwardly, cocking his head to the side. It was funny... he knew exactly what he was going to say ten minutes ago, but now- he was at a loss for words.

"Look," Dave closed his eyes momentarily, "I know that we said that we wouldn't be alone together anymore. And I'm sorry that I'm here now," he nodded. "But... awhile back, you told me that I shouldn't regret anything," he shook his head. "And I just know that I'd regret graduating and having you go off to New York without telling you how much I wanna be with you."

Kurt bit his bottom lip softly, as he silently hoped that this wasn't all just a dream. He wanted to tell Dave everything. He wanted to tell Dave the truth... How he wanted to be with him. How he felt exactly the same way. How he was so scared to give him a chance. Just... everything.

"Maybe I don't deserve you," Dave continued, shrugging slightly. "Maybe everybody else would say the same thing. And maybe you _won't_ give me a chance, but... I don't wanna let you go."

A tear fell from one of Kurt's eyes, where it slowly slid down his right cheek. He licked his upper lip quickly, swallowing hard, yet never letting his gaze leave Dave's face. "I'm just scared..." he smiled sadly.

Dave let out a shaky breath, as he began to nod. "I'm scared too," he replied softly. He glanced down towards the floor, taking a deep breath, before he looked back up. "I know that I'm not out to everybody yet... but I wanna be," he nodded once again. "And I'm ready to be... especially if it means that I get to be with you."

Kurt felt another tear fall. He wanted to be able to tell Dave everything that he had been thinking and feeling for so long now, but his throat was so tightened up that he felt like he couldn't get anything out.

"I know that maybe a lot of people aren't gonna get it after everything... and maybe they'll say a bunch of stuff to me... or to us, but," Dave shook his head briefly. "None of that's gonna matter to me if I have you."

Knowing that he needed to tell Dave about what he was afraid of by giving him a chance, Kurt brought his left hand up and wiped the tears away from his right cheek. He sniffed once, where he slowly began to shake his head. "I just... I don't want you to feel like you're being pushed," he shrugged lightly. "I just won't be able to handle you regretting it later."

Dave's expression became sad instantly, as he shook his own head. "I won't," he replied softly. He seemed to want to say more right then, as his lips parted and came together a few times, though he eventually glanced back down towards the floor. He took one of his hands out of his pockets, bringing it up to rub the back of his neck.

Kurt could hear Dave sniffing a few times, as if trying to calm himself down, so that he could look back up and continue speaking.

Dave finally glanced back up, sliding his hand back into his pocket. He shrugged lightly, looking a little defeated, as he tried to smile softly. "Maybe I don't know exactly how you feel right now... maybe I don't know how you really feel about me," he shook his head, looking right into Kurt's eyes. "But I know how I feel about you... and I know what I want with you."

Attempting to softly smile back at Dave through his tears, Kurt slowly began to nod briefly. He knew that Dave still wasn't sure of how Kurt _really_ felt about him or what he _really_ wanted with him... but he knew that he owed that much to Dave now.

"I'd never want you to have to hide anything... just like I did for so long," Dave continued, shaking his head. He hoped that Kurt believed that he was being honest. He felt like one of the main reasons as to why he _was_ finally out to so many people was because of Kurt and Kurt's support... and he felt like he'd be able to do anything because of those same reasons. "You won't make me feel like I'm being pushed," he repeated.

Kurt glanced over Dave's face, where he smiled softly again and shrugged lightly. "I used to," he huffed, looking towards the floor momentarily, as he shook his head. "I used to be by myself... and I'd be thinking about everything," he paused. "I'd think about you... and how I felt about you," he nodded. "And I'd just feel like... maybe nothing was ever supposed to happen between us after everything."

Dave kept his gaze on Kurt, though his sad expression didn't change.

"But now," Kurt swallowed once before continuing. "Now, all I can think about is how much I want to be with you... and how I don't want anything else."

Dave's breathing picked up, where his eyes narrowed slightly. "You mean that?"

"Yeah," Kurt replied softly, nodding.

Dave lowered his head once again, focusing on the floor. He wanted so much to just ask Kurt if he could have a chance, but... maybe it was too soon. Maybe Kurt still needed a little bit of time, especially since Kurt had _just_ found out that Blaine had just told him about their break-up.

His eyes shot over to the left and the right across the floor quickly, where he still appeared to be upset. Dave glanced back up to Kurt, shaking his head. "We don't have to figure this all out tonight, you know... I mean, if you're not ready," he added. "I can just give you time, if you need it," he nodded. "And then we can just talk tomorrow or next week or... whenever you're ready."

Kurt glanced over Dave's face once again, where his expression became sad. It wasn't what he wanted. He didn't need more time to think about it. He just wanted Dave.

"Is that what you want?" Kurt finally asked quietly.

"No," Dave immediately responded, shaking his head. He huffed towards himself, closing his eyes momentarily. "The only reason why I was okay with not being alone with you anymore is because..." he trailed off, shrugging. "I was just so afraid that I'd do something stupid again."

Kurt wasn't exactly sure of what Dave had meant by that, where his eyebrows seemed to furrow together.

Dave cocked his head to the side slightly, smiling sadly once more. "I just," he swallowed. "I just see you... and all I can think about is how much I wanna kiss you again."

Kurt's lips parted, though he was still unable to say anything back.

"I wanna be there for you," Dave nodded slowly. "And I wanna take care of you and protect you... and I wanna make sure that nobody ever hurts you."

Kurt smiled back through his few tears. "What if I want the same thing?"

Dave's eyes seemed to brighten, as he opened his mouth a little wider to let out a deep breath that he had been holding in. "I... I just want you to be sure," he nodded quickly, smiling. "I mean, I don't want you to wake up tomorrow and regret it or whatever. So... you know, if you're not completely sure, then maybe we should just wait a few days or... something?" he rambled unsurely.

It only took a few seconds before Kurt began to shake his head. "I don't want to wait anymore," he smiled again. He took a few steps over, where he threw his arms around Dave's neck and pulled him closer to press their lips together.

Dave let out a soft whimper, though he immediately wrapped his arms around Kurt's waist, pulling him even closer, as he kissed back completely.

Kurt finally felt what he had known was always going to be there... Sparks. Fireworks. Something that was electric- which he couldn't even explain, yet had never felt before with anyone else. This is how he had always wanted to feel. This is how he knew he deserved to feel. He felt safe and protected... and loved. And he knew that Dave felt exactly the same way.

After a few moments, they both pulled back slightly to try and catch their breaths.

Dave had a lopsided grin on his face, as if he were dazed from the kiss, where he leaned his forehead forward a little to rest it against Kurt's.

Kurt smiled back, letting his hands unclasp from around Dave's neck and slide down to settle against his chest.

"You just kissed me, right?" Dave laughed lightly.

Kurt laughed back. "I did, yeah," he continued smiling, biting his bottom lip softly.

Dave nodded, lowering his gaze down to Kurt's lips. He looked back up, raising one of his eyebrows suggestively. "Can we do that again?"

"Please," Kurt smirked.

"'Kay," Dave smiled, raising his hands up to place them onto both sides of Kurt's face, bringing their lips together once more.

Dave had definitely been more ready this time compared to before, as this kiss was making Kurt feel a bit weak in the knees. He smiled against Dave's lips, causing Dave to pull back again, where his usual goofy grin returned.

"I forgot to say hi to you earlier," Dave cocked his head to the side. "So... hi."

"Hi there," Kurt smiled.

One of Dave's eyebrows shot up again, as he cleared his throat, glancing away momentarily. "So, um... am I your boyfriend now or?"

Kurt laughed lightly. "If you want to be, yeah," he nodded. "I mean... we _could_ just be friends who happen to kiss like that... a lot... all the time," he smirked. "But it's up to you."

"I'm good with being your boyfriend, actually," Dave laughed.

Kurt nodded, still smirking. "Okay, sounds good."

They kept on smiling towards each other for a few more moments, never letting themselves look away.

Though neither noticed, nor would probably remember, they had been standing in front of the French classroom, which just happened to be the same place where they had stood almost a year earlier... Dave had walked Kurt to class as part of the Bully Whips protection, only to break down and apologize to him. Ironically, Dave's last words to Kurt seemed to have much more meaning now... _Remember, wait for me here, alright?_

Dave's smile softened, as if he were thinking about something to himself. He took a deep breath, where both of his eyebrows shot up quickly. "Come with me," he said quietly, pressing against the small of Kurt's back.

Kurt began to walk with Dave down the hallway, though he wasn't sure of exactly where Dave was going to be taking him. "Where are we going?"

Dave just glanced over momentarily and smirked, though he didn't reply.

They eventually ended up getting closer to the doors of the gymnasium, where Kurt stopped abruptly and grabbed Dave's wrist. "David," he stated firmly.

"Yeah?" Dave asked nonchalantly.

Kurt looked towards him, wide-eyed. "What are we doing?"

Dave let out a loud breath, where he smiled ever so slightly. He brought his right hand up and rubbed the back of his neck nervously, as he looked pretty much anywhere other than Kurt. "I, uh... I owe you a dance," he shrugged.

Kurt could tell that his mouth had dropped open a little bit, while he was unsure of what to say. "Um, David," he huffed in nervous amusement. "I know that you're all happy and excited at the moment, but... really, we don't have to do this right now," he shook his head.

"I want to," Dave nodded. Although he appeared to be nervous, he also seemed to be determined.

"Um..." Kurt began, clearing his throat. "Honestly, I didn't expect you to just go ahead and do something like this right away," he smiled awkwardly, nodding back.

Dave smiled at Kurt sincerely, as he began to shake his head. "I don't care what they're gonna say about me. All that they're gonna see is me _dancing_ with you," he laughed. "It's not like I'm going in there to make a speech."

Kurt shook his head, letting out another huff. "David-"

"We only have a few weeks left of school anyways," Dave interrupted. "I swear. I can deal with it and I don't care... I'll be fine," he attempted to reassure Kurt.

Kurt was still smiling softly, though he gave Dave a look of concern. While, of course, he didn't want to have to hide his relationship with Dave, he definitely wasn't expecting for Dave to purposefully be trying to grab everyone's attention either. Still though... how could he say no to _that_ face?

"I have you, right?" Dave asked, grinning once more. "Please?"

Letting out a soft sigh, Kurt felt himself begin to nod.

They both walked through the doors together slowly, where a few people glanced their way, but didn't really have any sort of reaction. Though- _why would they?_ Kurt thought to himself. There was a fast song playing at the moment, and Dave made no indication of walking towards the dance floor. Kurt just gazed around at everyone with wide-eyes, wondering if Dave had already changed his mind.

Suddenly, the song changed into more of a slow one, where Dave glanced over to Kurt. He let out a shaky breath, though the soft smile didn't leave his face. He took a step closer, motioning towards the dance floor and all of the swaying couples with his head. "Follow me," he stated, as he began walking towards them.

Kurt had a worried expression on his face, though he immediately began to follow behind Dave. He caught a few people looking their way as they passed, where most had confused looks on their faces. Since he was so focused on Dave, Kurt didn't even let them bother him, though.

Looking a little ways ahead, Kurt noticed that Finn and Rachel had stopped dancing, as they were both just staring at them. Rachel seemed to be smiling slightly, where Finn's eyebrows were just wrinkled together.

"What's going on?" Finn asked, as Dave and Kurt were passing them.

All Kurt had time to do was to shrug lightly, before he continued following Dave until they were close to the middle of the floor.

Dave stopped and turned back around to face Kurt, only to glance towards everyone and let out a deep breath. His eyes were wide, as if he may have been second guessing himself, though he still looked back at Kurt with determination.

Kurt just pursed his lips together, as he was attempting to not laugh in nervousness. They were both just standing there, awkwardly looking towards each other, yet neither making any sort of move to do anything.

Nodding slightly, Kurt quickly raised one of his eyebrows. "Are you _sure_ that you want to do this?"

Dave nodded back. "Yeah, I'm sure," his voice cracked. He laughed lightly at it, shaking his head, as if it would help him to get rid of his nerves. "You gonna keep asking me?"

Kurt glanced down towards the floor, laughing. He didn't know why _he_ felt so nervous... maybe he was just nervous for Dave.

Dave took another deep breath, where he focused on Kurt. "So," he began, with a lopsided grin. "Are you gonna dance with me or do I have to dance with myself?"

Shrugging, Kurt laughed again and took a step closer. "Okay..." he said unsurely.

"Okay," Dave replied more firmly. He cleared his throat nervously, taking a few steps towards Kurt.

They both raised their arms up towards each other awkwardly, attempting to figure out where to place their hands on one another. Kurt huffed in amusement, shaking his head.

Dave just laughed, grabbing onto both of Kurt's wrists. "Here," he stated, guiding Kurt to put his hands behind Dave's neck.

Settling his own hands on both of Kurt's hips, Dave began to slow dance with him along with everyone else on the dance floor. He could feel that his face was turning red, though he saw that Kurt's did a little bit, too. This was something that he knew he needed to do, and he definitely wasn't going to be running out of the gymnasium now.

Dave cleared his throat once again, grinning awkwardly. "Hi, again," he laughed.

"Hi," Kurt replied.

He smiled softly at Dave, who seemed to be only allowing himself to gaze right back at Kurt, and nothing else. Kurt felt really proud of him, at that moment. And while he loved the fact that Dave was ignoring everything else around them, Kurt was curious as to whether people were looking at them or not.

Kurt glanced around quickly, noticing that there were, in fact, a lot of people staring at them. Some were smiling, such as most of the members of New Directions that he could see... while others appeared to either have confused or offensive expressions on their faces. Kurt really didn't care, though. He was dancing with Dave in front of everybody, and Dave was staying right there with him.

"Are people looking?" Dave finally asked.

"Um," Kurt nodded briefly. "They are, but... I'm going to go ahead and guess that it's just because of your clothing choice for this evening."

Dave smirked, shaking his head. "What?" he asked dramatically. "Should I have gone home to change first?"

Kurt shrugged lightly. "No, but... you could've at least put on your clip-on tie," he joked.

"Ah," Dave laughed. "A clip-on tie with my t-shirt... I'm sure you would've appreciated that."

Kurt laughed back, as he shook his head. "It would've been a good look for you, definitely."

They continued slow dancing for a few more moments, keeping their focus on each other, rather than anything else.

Kurt glanced over Dave's face a few times, smiling softly. "You okay?"

Dave nodded quickly. "Yeah, I'm fine." After a few seconds, Dave's expression became curious, where he cocked his head to the side slightly.

"What?" Kurt asked.

"I just," Dave smirked. "I just thought that you said that I wasn't your type."

Kurt laughed lightly, shaking his head again. "Yeah... I kind of lied about that," he nodded.

"Good," Dave replied, smiling.

Kurt seemed to forget where they were right then... He was dancing with Dave. His _boyfriend_. And he felt happier than he ever had before. It was an amazing feeling that he didn't even know if he'd ever be able to describe to anyone.

Out of the corner of his eye, Kurt saw someone and glanced towards the right. Standing there was Strando and his prom date, where Strando was just staring at him and Dave with a slightly disgusted look on his face. Kurt raised an eyebrow, with an irritated look coming to his face.

Dave decided to follow Kurt's gaze over to see the other jock. He narrowed his eyes at him, though all he did was quickly give him a bro-nod. "'Sup?"

Strando scoffed lightly, shaking his head, as he grabbed his date's hand and walked away.

Kurt snorted, shaking his head once more. "Well... I think that it's going to be an interesting last few weeks," he smiled.

"Yeah, definitely," Dave smiled back, nodding briefly.

"Think they'll make us prom royalty again?" Kurt asked in fake excitement.

Dave just laughed. "Oh, I sure hope so..."


	24. Chapter 24

A week had passed since prom and, surprisingly, not much had changed for Kurt and Dave. Of course, word about their dance together had quickly gotten around to the rest of McKinley High, yet people weren't completely sure as to what it had all meant. At first, some believed that Dave was just trying to be nice because of what had happened last year, while others thought that he had been forced into doing it. Everyone else either didn't care whatsoever or they actually believed that he _was_ with Kurt.

Other than the rest of New Directions, Kurt and Dave had decided to keep to themselves, as the fact that they were now dating wasn't really anybody else's business but their own. It certainly wasn't something that they needed to announce to everyone, which just meant that people could make up their own assumptions, if it was what they chose to do.

Even so, they definitely weren't going to deny the fact that they were together if someone _had_ decided to ask. It was funny, in a way. A few people, that Dave had never even talked to before, were beginning to come up to him, where they were subtly trying to find out the truth... and when they did, they would either become shocked or fascinated to learn that he was gay. Of course, there were the different sets of peoples' reactions that came along with finding out everything.

There were the ones, mainly jocks, who would either say offensive things to Dave or would give him disgusted looks as they passed. And then there were the people who would completely ignore everything, which Dave was completely fine with. But then you also had the many people who were really supportive, which surprised Dave. He had remembered everyone's reaction when Kurt had came back into the gymnasium to accept the Prom Queen title the previous year... and he was glad that there _were_ a lot of those same people still around him who were just as accepting.

Dave had been handling everything so well and, as he had told Kurt, he was focusing on the last few weeks of school. Final tests, Nationals, and graduation were just around the corner... and spending a lot of time with his boyfriend definitely didn't give him any time to let anything or anyone bother him.

Kurt was standing at his opened locker, grabbing a few books and notebooks that he needed for the rest of the school day. He stopped momentarily, where he glanced up towards the small teddy bear that Dave had gotten him for Christmas. He smiled to himself, as he thought back over the past year. Things had changed so much... they had changed for the better, and he was looking forward to finding out what was in store for the future.

Dave walked over and ended up next to Kurt, standing on his right. Kurt looked towards him, where Dave smiled softly, letting his hands slide into both of the pockets of his jeans. Things were still fresh and new between them... and Dave was still in that phase where he couldn't help but smile like a goof whenever he was around Kurt. But as Kurt liked to say, Dave's awkwardness just made him even more adorable.

"Hi," Dave finally said.

Kurt smiled back instantly. "Hi."

"How are you doing?" Dave asked, cocking his head to the side slightly.

"I'm okay," Kurt nodded. "How are you?"

Dave's soft smile changed into more of his goofy grin. "I'm good," he nodded back. After a few moments of glancing over Kurt's face, he shrugged. "I missed you."

Kurt shook his head briefly, laughing lightly at Dave's awkwardness. "I missed you too."

Dave lifted one of his eyebrows up, once Kurt had started to laugh. "What?" he asked dramatically.

"Nothing," Kurt shook his head once again. "You're just... cute, that's all."

"Well, so are you," Dave laughed back. He looked around the hallway momentarily, clearing his throat. "Can I walk you to class?"

"Yes, please," Kurt smiled, closing his locker shut.

They began walking slowly down the hallway next to each other, where Kurt was holding onto the strap of his bag with his left hand, as it was sitting on his left shoulder. After a few moments, he felt Dave's hand touch his right one, where he quickly glanced down, noticing that Dave was trying to hold it. He smiled to himself again, letting his fingers intertwine with Dave's, as they continued walking together. Dave hadn't tried to hold Kurt's hand yet, but Kurt absolutely loved the feeling of it.

A few people with confused or curious looks were glancing their way as they passed, though no one was saying anything. And yet... it seemed as if neither Kurt nor Dave even cared to notice.

"So..." Kurt finally said, after trying to make the butterflies in his stomach go away, "dinner with your parents last night was interesting."

Dave turned his head towards Kurt, where an amused expression came to his face. "Is that the right word to use?"

Kurt laughed, shaking his head. "I'm not sure, actually."

"I thought it was more awkward than interesting," Dave nodded.

Kurt nodded back, though he was still laughing lightly. "I guess you could definitely say that."

"It was nice, though," he continued, smiling back at Dave. "I'm really happy that they seem like they're okay with everything."

"Yeah, me too," Dave replied. "My mom loves you, so that's good," he laughed.

Kurt grinned, shaking his head for a few moments. "I was still laughing at you this morning when I woke up."

Dave huffed in amusement, shaking his own head. "I was nervous, okay? I knock crap over when I'm nervous."

"Yeah... such as entire glasses of water all over the dinner table," Kurt laughed.

Dave shrugged. "At least I didn't spill it all over you."

"Very true," Kurt nodded. "So what was going on after I left?"

Dave's eyes widened, as he took a deep breath. "Um... let's just say that it got even more awkward once you did leave."

A confused expression came to Kurt's face. "Why do you say that?"

Dave just shook his head. "You don't even want to know."

"If I didn't want to know, then why would I ask?" Kurt scoffed.

Dave smiled slightly. "Trust me," he continued to shake his head. "You don't."

"David," Kurt said firmly.

Dave let out a deep breath. "Well... my dad decided to sit me down and have a talk with me, which was kind of like the one that he gave me a few years ago. Only this time, it was a little different and..." he trailed off, becoming red.

Kurt's mouth dropped slightly. "Oh my god," he gazed straight ahead, feeling like he wasn't able to look right back at Dave.

"Yeah," Dave's eyes were still wide.

"Anyways..." Kurt attempted to change the subject.

Dave laughed again. "You said that you wanted to know," he shrugged.

"Okay, well, I was wrong," Kurt nodded. "Moving on..." he laughed lightly.

Kurt looked around the hallway, noticing that more people seemed to be staring at them. He couldn't blame them, really- especially since there hadn't been _that_ many people that knew that they were together and since this was the first time that they had all seen him holding hands with Dave.

"It seems like we're still the talk of the school," Kurt stated nonchalantly.

Dave glanced around as well, snorting once. Raising one of his eyebrows slightly, he shrugged. "Not for long, though." Graduation was only two weeks away, and they'd be old news after that... especially since they wouldn't be coming back next year.

"I'm really proud of you," Kurt smiled at Dave, giving his hand a small squeeze.

Dave smiled back. "Well, thank you for helping me."

Right as they were about to turn the corner of the hallway, Azimio suddenly appeared in front of them. Kurt and Dave stopped abruptly, where Dave's expression seemed to become tense and he stood up a little straighter.

Azimio had a blank look on his face, where he looked down towards Kurt and Dave's clasped hands and then back up to Dave. He paused for a few moments, taking a deep breath, before he gave Dave a bro-nod. "Hey."

Dave glanced over Azimio's face a few times, where he finally responded calmly. "Hey."

Azimio remained silent for a few more seconds, as if he wasn't completely sure of what to say. "You, uh..." he looked over at Kurt and then back to Dave. "You wanna hang out or something soon?"

Dave continued staring right at Azimio, wondering how he should reply. He eventually nodded briefly. "Yeah, maybe."

"Okay," Azimio nodded back. "Just let me know," he said, before he began to walk down the hallway once again.

Kurt blinked quite a few times, while his eyebrows were wrinkling in confusion. "What was that about?"

"Um... I'm not sure, exactly," Dave shrugged.

"Okay then..." Kurt replied.

They continued walking again, where they turned the corner, and stopped in front of the door to Kurt's next class. Kurt let go of Dave's hand so that he could stand right in front of him. His lips were pursed together, as he began to slowly nod. "Are you really going to do something with him?"

"I don't know," Dave shrugged again. He was completely unsure of how to handle that whole situation with Azimio, though he knew that he didn't have to figure it all out right at that moment. He shook the thoughts off, taking a deep breath and smiled. "So..."

"So..." Kurt repeated, though the expression on his face remained serious. He glanced down towards the floor, swallowing once, before looking back up. "We need to talk sometime soon."

The discussion about college had yet to come up... and while it was still a few months away, Kurt couldn't help but worry about what was going to happen. He was going to New York and he knew that he couldn't miss that opportunity. He wasn't completely sure as to what Dave was going to end up doing, especially since Dave seemed to always change the subject or would avoid talking about anything whenever Kurt wanted to bring it up to him.

Dave knew exactly what Kurt had meant, though he couldn't say anything else compared to what he'd normally say right then. "I know," he nodded.

Kurt nodded back, where both of his eyebrows shot up momentarily. "I think you've been avoiding _it_ for a little while now..." he smiled sadly.

"Yeah, I know," Dave nodded once more, letting his hands slide back into his pockets. "I just..." he shrugged. "We'll figure it out... we have all summer together still," he smiled.

Kurt smiled back, taking a few steps closer. "And it'll be the best summer _ever_."

"Definitely," Dave grinned. He glanced over Kurt's face for a few moments, where he began to shake his head. "How'd I get so lucky again?"

"Don't even start," Kurt laughed.

"What?" Dave asked sarcastically.

Kurt shook his own head, not even attempting to hide his grin. "Don't get all mushy on me right now," he stated. "I'm not going to want you to leave."

Suddenly, the warning bell for the next class period rang.

"See," Kurt rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Dave laughed, where he then faked a pout. "I gotta go."

Kurt raised both of his hands up to fix the collar of Dave's shirt. "No, you should stay," he smiled.

"I wish I could," Dave nodded briefly. He leaned forward slightly, giving Kurt a quick kiss, before pulling back. His usual goofy grin appeared immediately. "I love doing that."

Kurt laughed lightly, giving Dave a look that seemed to say that he meant everything to him. "I love you."

Dave's lips parted slightly, though the grin never left his face. "You love me?" he asked quietly.

"Yeah," Kurt nodded.

Dave leaned forward once more, softly pressing his lips against Kurt's again, before pulling back. "I love you too."

Even though he was wishing that he didn't have to go, Dave finally realized that he'd have to make a run for his class so that he wouldn't end up being late.

"Wait for me?" Dave asked, raising one of his eyebrows.

"Always," Kurt smiled.


	25. Chapter 25

There's a saying that goes around which states that high school, apparently, is supposed to be some of the best years of someone's life. Of course, this is something that not everyone ends up saying after they graduate... especially since the high school experience for one person may be completely different for somebody else. In other words, it's really not that strange to meet someone who will say that high school was actually some of the worst years of their life.

Even so, a good majority of people are likely to describe graduation as a bittersweet moment. On the one hand, there is the excitement of moving on to something bigger and better out in the real world. Whether this consists of continuing on to college, where someone tends to have more freedom in what they study, or going right into full time work, one could say that being released from the typical Monday through Friday high school schedule is quite refreshing.

On the other hand, most realize that leaving behind that one schedule just means that another will soon take its place. Unfortunately, this is the way that life works. The main key is to surround one's self with things that they enjoy and people that they love. As far as high school is concerned, the many different types of experiences that occurred during those years just become distant memories, which continue to fade over time. Of course, there are the few that will be remembered quite vividly... first crushes, first dances, first kisses... but others will become hazy as the years go by, meaning specific details are likely to be lost.

Kurt Hummel would likely describe his high school experience as "interesting." Like many others, there were both good moments and bad- though, he would forever be grateful for everything that he had learned and went through during those four years of his life. All that those things did was help to make him a stronger person.

One of the important things that he accomplished at McKinley High was learning how to accept himself. While he almost always remained true to who he was, he did go through many struggles that some do when being able to admit that he was gay to the people that actually cared about him. But once he did do this, he realized that there were many around him who would support him completely. After this, he spent more time dealing with the fact that there _were_ people out in the world who would not accept him.

Of course, he soon understood that it really doesn't matter what other people think about him. He, at one time, had felt like a complete outsider to everyone... including the rest of the members of New Directions. But he eventually found his place, realizing that everyone has that feeling from time to time. And this is exactly where he learned the real meaning behind friendship.

Before glee club had even begun at McKinley High, all of them were quite different from one another. There were the jocks, the cheerleaders, and the musical geeks. Some were loud, while others were quiet. Yet they all came together, where they learned to work hard with one another in an attempt to reach a particular goal. Over time, they all actually became friends, yes... even with all the fighting and arguing that occurred over the past three years... but they were also a _team_. And they were a team who, despite losing at Regionals their first year together and losing at Nationals during the second, _finally_ won the Nationals competition in 2012. They worked together... and no one would ever be able to take that away from them.

Fast-forward about a week later, and many of the members of New Directions had just graduated from high school. They would be going their separate ways very soon, though they would always remember the moment when they had won.

But if there was only one other thing that Kurt was glad that he learned during his time at McKinley, it was about love.

This included the love for his father, who accepted him completely for who he was immediately. And the love for his step-mother, Carole, who made his dad so happy that he couldn't have asked for anyone else to fill those shoes. And the love for his stepbrother, Finn, who was the over-protective, gullible and naive brother that he enjoyed having around.

Kurt also learned about the love for friends, the rest of New Directions, as well as _best_ friends... Mercedes and Rachel. Even Blaine.

And then, there was Dave. Now, if someone had told Kurt a few years ago that he would end up dating and falling in love with Dave Karofsky, he definitely would have thought that they were completely insane. But now? Kurt couldn't imagine being with anyone else. While there were many people who didn't understand, especially the ones who knew about their past together, Kurt realized that following one's heart is more important than worrying about anything else.

Dave Karofsky wasn't the closeted and mean bully anymore. He was the guy who owned way too many polo shirts... the one who usually had a goofy grin on his face whenever he was surrounded by his friends. Dave was, like Kurt had called him once before, kind of like a big, teddy bear. Very caring. Very protective. And someone who just wanted to love and be loved.

Dave was Kurt's boyfriend. And he was also the same guy who sitting next to Kurt on the same side of a booth at Breadstix a few days after graduation... the same guy who had just, jokingly, put the end of a napkin into the collar of his shirt in an attempt to try and irritate his boyfriend on purpose.

Kurt glanced over to his right to look at Dave, where he raised an eyebrow. "If you're going to leave that there, you need to go to a different booth," he joked.

Dave faked a dramatic huff, grabbing the napkin from his collar and throwing it onto the top of the table. "You're no fun," he shook his head.

"Of course I am. That's why everyone loves me," Kurt smiled wide.

"True," Dave replied, raising his left arm to settle it onto the top of the booth seat behind Kurt's neck.

"By the way..." Kurt pursed his lips together, as he began to slowly nod. "I feel like I need to go with you when you get your hair cut."

Dave's eyebrows furrowed together slightly. "Why?"

"_Because_... I love your curls," Kurt smirked, running a few of his fingers through his boyfriend's hair. "And if you end up getting rid of them, I'm going to be very upset."

Dave set his right elbow onto the table, where he began to rub his chin. "How about I just let my hair grow out?" he shrugged.

"Uh... no, thank you," Kurt scoffed.

Dave just laughed. "You wouldn't like me having long hair?"

"No," Kurt snorted in amusement, glancing over to his left when their waitress had came back to their booth with the drinks that they had ordered. "Thank you," he smiled.

She took a small pad of paper out from the pocket of her apron, smiling softly. "Are you guys ready to order?"

Kurt shook his head. "No, we're actually still waiting on a couple of people."

"Oh, okay," the waitress replied. "I'll be back."

"Thanks." Dave slid his glass over closer to him, taking a quick sip. He then grinned, playfully bumping Kurt's shoulder with his own, right when Kurt was about to take a drink from his own glass.

Kurt nudged Dave's shoulder back. "Stop it," he laughed.

"What?" Dave shrugged. "I'm not doing anything."

Kurt quickly leaned his head over to rest on his boyfriend's shoulder momentarily. "You're such a dork."

"You love it," Dave smiled. He glanced down towards his glass, sliding it back and forth between his hands, as he cleared his throat. "Alright, so... question."

"Answer," Kurt replied.

Dave turned his body more towards Kurt, taking a deep breath. "Don't freak out, okay?"

Kurt snorted once again, rolling his eyes. "I already don't like where this is going."

"Why?" Dave asked. His mouth had dropped open slightly, though a small smile still appeared to be on his face.

"Because you just shouldn't start out a question by telling someone to not freak out," Kurt laughed.

"Well, _I'm sorry_," Dave said dramatically, raising both of his hands up near his chest in defense. "Okay..." he grinned mischievously, "I was _wondering_ if you would go camping with me in a few weeks."

Kurt raised both of his eyebrows, where he just stared at Dave for a few silent moments.

"I know, I know," Dave nodded, laughing lightly. "But I was thinking that we could just leave on a Saturday morning and then I can have you back by, like... Sunday afternoon."

With his eyes still wide, Kurt raised his glass up towards his mouth to take a sip. His lips pursed back together, where his face appeared to become tense. "Are you serious?"

Dave gave him an unsure smile, shrugging. "Yes?"

Kurt glanced towards the other side of the booth, rubbing the space between the right side of his neck and shoulder. "Haven't we already had this discussion?"

"Kind of," Dave laughed. "But... not really."

Kurt sighed, though he couldn't stop a smile from forming. "I thought you were going camping with your dad."

"I am," Dave nodded. "But I wanna go again with you."

As his smile seemed to grow, Kurt began to nod slowly. "You do realize that I'll probably just end up complaining the entire time, right?"

Dave's expression became serious, as he raised an eyebrow. "How is that any different to how you normally are?"

Kurt's mouth dropped, as he huffed in amusement. "_Well_... aren't we rude this evening?"

"I'm just kidding," Dave chuckled. "But I wanna take you," he nodded. "Just one weekend. If you really hate it, then I won't make you go with me ever again."

"You, sir, are out of your mind," Kurt smirked, shaking his head.

"So... what?" Dave pouted. "You're turning me down?"

Kurt glanced over to see his boyfriend's obviously fake pout, where he began to laugh. "I don't even know _how_ to turn down that face."

"I know," Dave grinned. "That's why I do it," he let both of his eyebrows shoot up playfully.

Kurt laughed again. "Very cruel," he nodded, leaning over slightly to kiss Dave's cheek.

Dave settled his left hand on the small of Kurt's back, smiling softly. "We don't have to go if you really don't want to," he shook his head.

"No, I want to go," Kurt reassured him. "Who knows? I might even like it," he shrugged.

"Well, even if you don't... at least you'll be with me," Dave nodded once.

Kurt couldn't help but smile, as he looked over his boyfriend's face a few times. He felt so lucky and so grateful to have Dave in his life. Honestly, he just couldn't imagine spending an entire day without seeing or talking to him now... everything just felt _right_.

Dave's expression became both amused and curious, as Kurt had yet to say anything back to him. "What?" he finally asked.

"Nothing," Kurt shook his head. "I'm just... really happy," he smiled.

"Me too," Dave grinned.

They both heard an irritated scoff coming from the left side of the booth, where they quickly glanced over to see Santana and Brittany standing nearby.

Santana crossed her arms, with a semi-disgusted look on her face. "Okay, if you two don't stop with all of the cutesy stuff soon, I'm going to end up vomiting right at the table."

Kurt smiled, replying in fake annoyance. "Well... I'm definitely ready to eat now."

"Sorry," Santana smiled back, shrugging, before sliding into the booth. Brittany soon followed to sit down next to her.

"No, you're not," Dave laughed lightly, shaking his head.

Santana nodded. "True. How are you boys doing?"

"Very well," Kurt replied. "How about you two?"

"Not bad," Santana shrugged once again. "But Britt and I are _definitely_ ready to gets'us some Breadstix."

Brittany swallowed, looking around the general vicinity for a waitress. "I am starving right now."

Santana glanced over, where her eyebrows furrowed together. "What all did you eat today?"

"Not a lot," Brittany shook her head. "I was going to eat lunch earlier, but Lord Tubbington stole it."

Kurt rolled his eyes, where Dave just had a confused expression on his face.

"It's her cat," Kurt murmured to his boyfriend.

Dave nodded slowly. "Oh."

Their waitress finally stopped back over to their booth, once she had noticed that Brittany and Santana had finally arrived. "Hi there."

"Hi," Santana replied. "Can I get an iced tea?"

"Same, please," Brittany smiled.

The waitress nodded once. "Sure thing. I'll be right back," she said, before walking away.

"So..." Santana began, setting both of her elbows onto the top of the table, where she clasped her hands together. "What's going on with you two?"

Dave quickly grinned at Kurt, before settling his gaze back onto his former beard. "We were just talking about going camping in a few weeks."

Santana raised one of her eyebrows, as she glanced over to Kurt with an amused look. "Really?" she asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah," Kurt nodded in fake excitement with widened eyes. "I'm so excited."

"It seems that way," Santana smirked.

Dave shook his head at Kurt. "Alright, I think you can handle less than two days of something that I wanna do. You make me watch musicals and go shopping with you, but you don't hear me complaining," he laughed.

"You are _so_ whipped," Santana giggled.

Dave's mouth dropped in amusement. "Shut up," he joked.

"You know you enjoy it anyways," Kurt replied sarcastically, shrugging.

"I don't _mind_ it," Dave corrected him. "But if I had a choice between watching a musical and watching a game... I think we both know which one I'd choose," he grinned.

Brittany laughed, glancing back and forth between Kurt and Dave. "You remind me of my grandma and grandpa."

"Thank you," Kurt snorted. "And okay, okay," he nodded enthusiastically, as he laughed lightly. "I understand that I need to realize that, just because you're gay, that doesn't mean that you are going to enjoy all of the things that _I_ do..." he brought his left hand up to place it against his chest. "And I'm working on that. But I _will_ be going camping with you and I will _attempt_ to not complain about it."

"I would pay so much money to see you go camping," Santana cocked her head to the side.

Kurt scoffed in amusement, shaking his head. "Same goes for _you_."

Santana laughed. "Well, it'll be good for you guys to get away from everyone. You know... have some alone time together," she teased, winking.

Dave huffed, as his eyes widened. He quickly turned his head towards his right to avoid eye contact with everyone, where he rubbed the back of his neck.

Kurt felt his mouth drop slightly, and he knew that he couldn't stop himself from blushing. "_What_?" he asked dramatically.

"You know," Santana smirked. "The dirty hand slap... bumpin' uglies."

Letting out a loud breath, Dave set his left elbow onto the table and rested his hand against his forehead to cover his eyes.

"Okay, first of all... that's none of your business," Kurt attempted to reply as seriously as he could, though he had obviously become quite flustered at the thought of sex. "And second of all..." he paused for a few moments, having no idea of what else to say. "That's none of your business," he finally repeated to himself.

"I was just kidding," Santana giggled. "But I mean, you're both eighteen year old guys... and everybody knows what's _always_ on your mind."

Kurt's eyes narrowed. "I take offense to that. Just saying."

Santana pursed her lips together, shrugging. "I just tell it like it is."

"Yeah," Dave finally spoke up. "And this is coming from the girl who slept with a good majority of the male jock population at McKinley during ninth and tenth grade."

"Most of them, yeah," Santana nodded. "Except for you."

Dave chuckled, rolling his eyes. "I'm sorry... I just wasn't interested," he joked.

Santana crossed her arms over her stomach. "Right, that's exactly what it was," she smiled. "Maybe I could just tell everyone that it's _your_ fault that I'm a lesbian."

Suddenly, all four recent graduates glanced over to their right to see the waitress staring at them awkwardly. Kurt turned his head back towards Dave, where they were both trying to hold in their laughs. Brittany just smiled nonchalantly, shaking her head.

"Did you need a few more minutes?" the waitress finally asked, after setting down the iced teas Santana and Brittany had ordered.

Santana snorted once, where she slowly began to nod. "Yes, please."

The waitress smirked, before quickly walking away.

Both of Kurt's eyebrows shot up momentarily. "What a lovely conversation we seem to be having," he joked.

"Does anyone else think that it's funny that it's us four sitting here?" Brittany asked randomly, looking between the other three sitting in the booth.

Kurt's expression became slightly confused. "Why is that funny?"

"Because," Brittany smiled, "I've made out with you and Santana. And you've made out with me and," she paused, glancing over at Dave. "Well... Dave, I'm sure. And then Dave's made out with you and Santana. So, it's kind of like we've all made out with each other... except I haven't made out with Dave and you haven't made out with Santana."

Kurt grinned awkwardly, as he began to slowly nod. "_Okay_," he stated dramatically. "I really didn't need to think about who's made out with my boyfriend, but... thank you."

Santana scoffed in amusement. "Technically, we didn't _really_ make out."

"I have an idea," Dave added. "How about we drop this?" he nodded in fake excitement.

Brittany giggled. "Sorry."

"_Anyways_..." Kurt laughed. "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll get away from this awkward moment and use the restroom real quick." He quickly slid out of the booth, smiling softly.

"'Kay," Dave grinned, watching Kurt walk towards the bathroom doors.

After waiting a few seconds, Santana glanced over her right shoulder to make sure that Kurt was far enough away that he wouldn't be able to hear her. "Okay..." she turned her head back to Dave, narrowing her eyes. "What were you freaking out about earlier?"

Dave sighed, just barely lifting his glass with both of his hands off of the table and setting it back down a few times. "I, uh..." he trailed off, looking back and forth between Brittany and Santana. "Do you think that it's too soon to ask Kurt if I can go to New York with him?"

Santana just stared at Dave for a few moments, as if she wasn't sure of what to say. "Um... no, I'm sure he'd love it, actually," she finally said, smiling. "I mean, are you going to school or were you just going to work?"

"I wanna go to school," Dave replied, glancing over towards the direction of the restrooms momentarily. "I applied at a few places, but..." he sighed again.

"Like where?" Brittany asked.

Dave shrugged unenthusiastically. "Well, I applied at OU earlier and I got accepted, but... that's here. And I just don't wanna have to stay here. So I thought, you know, Kurt's going to NYU so I was gonna try there, but... I was too late and I can't get in for this year," he shook his head. "I don't even know if they would have accepted me anyways."

Santana nodded with a disappointed expression on her face. "What do you think you're going to do then?"

"Well," Dave began, biting down on his bottom lip. "I started looking around and I found another school that sounds great, so I checked that one out."

"What was it?" Santana asked.

Dave shrugged once again. "It's called the City College of New York," he smirked. "I saw that I could apply for their spring semester for next year, so I went ahead and did it and..." he paused. "I got in."

Santana's eyebrows shot up momentarily, though her expression grew more serious. "Okay, wait... are you doing this for _you_ or are you doing it just to be with Kurt?"

"Both, I guess," Dave nodded. "I just... I wanna get out of here. And I wanna see new things and... I wanna be able to see them with _him_," he smiled sadly. "I mean, Kurt was talking about how he wants to live off campus and I was thinking about asking him if he wanted to get a place together."

With widened eyes, Santana smiled at him. "Wow."

"I know," Dave huffed in amusement. He knew that asking Kurt if they could move in together may be too much too soon after only getting together a few weeks ago, but... just as Kurt had been thinking to himself earlier, Dave thought that it just felt _right_.

"How far away is it from NYU?" Brittany asked.

"Like... twenty minutes," Dave laughed. "I've just been freaking out about asking him and, I mean, I don't know what his dad's gonna say, but... I guess I just need to do it, huh?"

Brittany smiled, nodding excitedly. "Definitely. He'll be really happy, I'm sure."

Santana laughed lightly. "Yeah," she responded in agreement. "That's just... it's really great, Dave."

Dave sighed, smiling softly to himself. A year ago, he wouldn't have ever even imagined Kurt giving him any sort of chance. But now, things were different. _Everything_ was different. And while he used to hate thinking about what was in store for him and his future... that was, now, one of his favorite things to do.

"So..." Santana began, as she crossed her arms over her stomach and smirked. "When do you think you'll end up asking him then?"

Dave let out a loud breath, grinning wide. "Maybe tonight?"


End file.
